Elements of the Heart
by Imagined Reality
Summary: On Hiatus Currently being revamped as the authoress has time
1. The Adventure Begins

Hi everyone! This is my first One Piece fanfic ever! Yay! Okay, moving on. Read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfics, I would be writing the storyline...

"talking" , _thoughts **, singing**_

White clouds dotted a perfect blue sky above the ever-moving waters of the sea. A breeze blew across the waves, dispersing a sense of peace. But if you looked farther, the horizon suddenly became a gloomy wall of fog. Even the early morning dawn did not penetrate the dense mist.

"Where the hell did all this come from?"

"How should I know? Idiot cook…"

"How should you know? It was your watch you shit swordsman! You fell asleep again didn't you?"

A ship had entered the mysterious haze over the ocean, and two people were standing out on deck shouting at each other.

One had bright jade hair, three gold earrings on one ear, and three swords sheathed at his waist. White shirt, green sash, and dark dark green pants with black boots made up his wardrobe. His name was Zolo, first mate on the Merry Go and aiming to be the best swordsman in the world.

The other was the ship's cook, Sanji. Complete with black suit and cigarette, he stood glaring at Zolo from under the blond hair that fell in his face.

And this is where an adventure of a lifetime would begin.

"I didn't fall asleep!" I yelled, earrings jangling. "That fog wasn't there two seconds ago!"

"Well, I guess that's why they call it the Grand Line! Because it's unpredictable." The idiot cook turned back towards the kitchen. "I don't have time for this. We all know what happens when Luffy wakes up and breakfast isn't ready."

I winced inwardly. That was one thing I never wanted to witness again. Fuming, I watched as the cook walked across the deck. Then I heard it.

"Sanji, wait." Names were never used, usually an insult sufficed. Names were reserved for serious situations.

"What?" The cook was standing next to me now.

"Can you hear that?"

"I can hear your mouth running, idiot-"

"Shh."

Leaning over the railing, I strained my ears for the sound. Suddenly, it became clear as day. Someone, a girl by the sounds of it, was singing.

It was a clean, pure sound, tinged with sadness. It echoed across the water, cutting through the fog. I stood as still as possible, listening as the words became clear.

_**I sing to life, and to it's tragic beauty.**_

_**To pain and to strife, and all that dances through me. **_

_**The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all.**_

The song then broke off into a language that I couldn't understood.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

"That poor girl!"

I glanced over to see the cook swooning at the unknown voice, all heart eyes and goofy grins.

"What could make such a sweet voice sing with such sadness? It's my duty as a man to rescue this poor maiden, this guardian of song – Ouch!"

"Get a grip." I said, uncurling my fist. The idiot rubbed the back of his head.

"Shit swordsman…" He muttered.

"Sanji! Sanji, I want breakfast! Where are you?"

Groaning inwardly, I turned to see my captain bounding towards us, childish grin and straw hat already in place.

"Zolo, what's up with this fog?" Luffy bounced over us and landed on the figure head of the ship. "It looks like pea soup!"

"That's impossible. I looked over all the charts. There shouldn't be any fog out here. The weather and our location are totally against it." I turned to find that Nami had joined us. Damn devil woman.

"Are you sure Nami?" Luffy climbed back on deck, staring at the navigator with his wide-eyed look.

"Positive. In fact today should have been perfect weather." Nami tucked a strand of orange hair behind her ear.

I sighed and turned back to the railing. Women were so unreliable, though with Nami it was hard to tell when she really didn't have a clue or when she was manipulating you.

_Hmph. Doesn't matter anyway._

"Sanji! Come on! I want breakfast!" Luffy tugged the cook back towards the kitchen.

"Hang on a second Luffy. We have to find that girl and rescue her!" Sanji brushed Luffy away. The rubber boy tilted his head.

"What girl?"

Any further conversation was cut off by a sudden gust of wind. I blindly grabbed the railing, closing my eyes against the sting of the wind.

_What the hell?_

For a moment, the wind swirled, clearing away the fog. I cracked them open and stared.

Right in front of us was a huge ship. A pirate flag waved at the top but the sails weren't open. In fact, it looked like no one was even on the ship. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickling. Death had visited this place. It was a ghost ship.

Until I saw her.

Standing on the railing at the bow was a girl. She looked like she was my age, at most. Long brown hair framed her pale face. Even though she was wearing nothing more than rags, she stood with the authority of royalty. Blue eyes seemed to pierce everything she surveyed. She stood glaring at us, taking in every detail of the people assembled below her. Then her gaze traveled the rest of the ship, finally stopping on the Jolly Roger on the sails. She looked back to us and suddenly looked straight at me.

We stood studying each other, both trying to figure out if the other was a threat. I could have sworn I saw a trace of fear in her cold blue eyes, but she was too far away to tell. Stepping down from the railing, she turned and ran.

"Wait!" Sanji must have regained his voice, no doubt blaming it on the breathtaking beauty of the girl.

_Wow… I've been listening to the crap-cook too much if I'm thinking these thoughts._

"Forget it. She already left. Probably to tell the captain they've got visitors." Nami said, glaring at the cook.

"No." I felt all their eyes on me but I kept speaking without really knowing why. "There's no one else on that ship."

"How can you know that?" The navigator now rounded on me.

"Because death has been here." Silence met this statement, but I continued. "My guess is that they came across other pirates and she's the only survivor of her crew."

"What are we waiting for? We have to rescue her!" The love cook was just about ready to jump overboard.

"Hang on. We don't know anything about this. Maybe there really is a crew and their waiting for us to let our guard down." Nami snapped.

"If this isn't letting our guard down I don't know what is." I pointed out. Nami opened her mouth to argue but was cut off.

"I agree with Zolo and Sanji." Luffy grinned. "Let's go rescue her!"

Hope you liked it! Please review or I'll be sad... : )


	2. Of crews and captives

Hi everyone! Yay! I got 3 reviews! Hands all reviewers a cookie Yeah, in case you didn't figure it out yet, the story is being told in Zolo's POV... for now. I'll make sure to mark it so there's no confuzlation. Now, to aknowledge the reviewers!

**OffTheWalls33** - Thanks! You rock! Keep reading, I promise it'll get better.

**YounamemeAkira** - Thank you! Here's your update.

**gothshadowdragonofhell** - backs away slowly I'm glad you like it so much... sweatdrop

Same rules as before. "talking", _thoughts,_ _singing, _here's a new one _sounds_

Okay! Onto Chapter 2!

**Chapter 2 **

**Of crews and captives**

Zolo's POV

It took about an hour of groaning and assorted threats to get the whole crew out on the deck. While Luffy bounced around, Sanji and Nami took a moment to catch everyone up on what had happened. I looked over them without much interest, having been there when they joined the crew and seen them everyday since.

As unlikely as this may seem, Luffy is our captain. When he was 7 he ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, allowing him to stretch like rubber with the price of never swimming again. Even with this little problem, he's still determined to sail the Grand Line and become King of the Pirates. Pretty insane for someone who can't swim, but none of us can talk. We all have crazy dreams.

I'm the first mate and swordsman of the Merry Go, the first mate part mostly because I was the first one to join the crew. My dream? To be the greatest swordsman in the world, which means I have to defeat "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk, current holder of that title. I fought him once and lost, but that will **not** happen again.

Nami followed as our navigator, and thief when the time called for it, dreaming to map the world. We picked up Usopp, marksman, storyteller, inventor, and dreaming of being a brave pirate to follow in his father's footsteps. The crap cook joined us so he could find the All Blue. Chopper is a blue nosed reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit. He's our doctor, and a damn good one at that, but you didn't hear that from me. He wants to be a great doctor and find the world's miracle cure.

Crazy dreams for crazy people.

"Okay!" Luffy said, jolting me out of my thoughts. "Who wants to go on the creepy ship?"

"Me." Sanji stepped forward to stand beside Luffy.

"Yeah, we all figured as much." Nami joined Sanji. "I guess I'll come too. There might be treasure."

A love cook and a devil woman. They were perfect for each other.

I hid a smirk as Luffy looked at the remaining members.

"No one else?"

"Hey L-l-l-l-uffy. I'll st-t-tay and guard the sh-sh-ship." Usopp was shaking so bad he could hardly speak, staring wide eyed at the ship in front of us.

"M-m-me t-t-too." Chopper peeked around Usopp's leg.

"How brave of you." I said, walking over to join Luffy. "Then I guess I won't be needed here."

"Alright! Let's go!" Luffy yelled.

Stretching his arm, he latched onto the railing and catapulted himself on board as we climbed up a rope dangling from the side.

"Wow! You guys have got to see this!" Luffy yelled, acting like a little kid. Oh, never mind. That was all the time.

"What now?" I asked as I leapt over the railing, but whatever smart remark I had ready faded away as I saw what Luffy was looking at.

I hardly even noticed when Nami and Sanji finally got up to the deck, my mind a total blank as we stared at the scene in front of us.

"What happened here?" Nami whispered.

"A battle." Sanji said. "A big one."

The deck was stained with blood. There was hardly a spot where the boards weren't deep red. There were no bodies, no weapons, no sign there were ever actual people fighting. Just the stench of death lingered behind.

"Battle?" I said, regaining some of my thoughts. "Try war."

"Oh my God." Nami still stood there staring as we started to explore. "And she's been living here how long?"

I glanced sharply at the navigator. It was unlike her to care about anyone without any reason what so ever. She cared about us, the whole Arlong fiasco had been proof of that. But never just a random person, no matter what their situation. Maybe it hit home to her that this is what the darker side of the Grand Line was all about.

"Who knows?" I replied, wandering over to the cabin door.

It had a single bloody handprint on it.

"Hey Zolo!" Luffy bounded over. "Me 'n' Nami will check this place out. You and Sanji go below deck."

"Great. I get paired up with the cabbage head."

I just barely heard Sanji's comment as we headed below.

"Shut up and stay on guard." I snapped, hand on my swords.

"I don't need you to tell me that!" He snapped back.

I kept my silence as we poked through room after room. Nami might still be right. There could be pirates hiding anywhere, just waiting for us. And I really didn't want to give them any way to tell where we were. Sanji seemed to get the message, because he managed to keep his mouth closed.

In truth, if a battle were to break out right here and now, I would rather have Sanji here that someone else. He could fight well, so I didn't have to protect him like most of the others. We fought like a team, looking out for each other, practically reading the other's mind in the heat of battle. Probably because we knew each other so well. Crewmates? Not much of a choice. Friends? ……Only in the face of something grave would either of us ever admit to something like that.

"Who do you think she is?"

"What?" I said, leaving my thoughts.

"The girl. Who do you think she is?" The cook asked, not bothering to glance over his shoulder at me when I answered.

"Who knows?" I shrugged. "Maybe she was part of the crew…" I stopped to inspect a box tucked in a corner.

"Hm… Maybe-"

A sickening crunch of rotted wood, a small yelp, and a loud crash. By the time I had turned around, a hole in the floor was where Sanji had stood.

"Oh shit. Hey crap cook! You okay?" I ran over to the hole. No answer.

"Shit." I muttered, looking down.

It was pretty dark down there. Jumping down there would probably do more harm than help. But I couldn't just leave him there…

_Chink_

I whirled around in time to see someone darting around the corner. A lantern sat close by, a flame already dancing in it. Grabbing the light, I held it over the hole.

"Oi!" I called. "Come on Sanji! Answer me!"

A small groan was all I got in return.

"Damn." I swore under my breath as I leapt into the hole. "Sanji?"

"Over here."

I swung the lantern around until I caught sight of the cook. Hurrying over, I said,

"You okay?"

"Yeah." He held his head with one hand. "I must have hit my head. Crap ship."

I held out my hand and helped him up. Then I finally noticed my surroundings.

"I think I might know what that girl was." I walked to the edge of the ship, boots sloshing in the water.

"And what would that be?" Sanji asked.

I held up the lantern as high as I could, illuminating the space we were in. Row after row of benches on either side of the boat appeared from the gloom. The ends of oars slanted in front of the seats. I lifted the chains of the one nearest to me. Hearing Sanji's sharp intake of breath, I knew I didn't have to say it. The girl… she could have been… was she...

A slave?


	3. That sounds familiar

Another chapter, same story. Funny how that works, isn't it: ) I'm glad so many people like my story! I got three reviews for my first chapter and now five for this one! Yay! Okay... moving on...

**gothshadowdragonofhell** -You're back! gives a cookie Oh, by the way,that's a really good idea you had. I might play with that for later in the story. Thanks

**13thShadowKnight** - I'm glad you like it. And I know you're a person, cause you reviewed: )

**ChibiMishaSan** - Yay! I got a cookie! Here's your update!

**Luffy rox** - Thanks. At least something is as creepy as my looks... well, maybe that's going to far...

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Just a note to all. My schedual is crazy as heck. It's amazing I've found time to update as often as I have been. So if things get stretched a week or so, don't panic. I'll post more asap. Okiees? On to the story!

**Edit : Since I have now been told three different times by three different peolple, I have finally fixed the Oni Giri mistake. Zolo is yelling Demon Cut, not Rice Ball. Although that would be funny...**

**Chapter 3**

**That sounds familiar...**

Zolo's POV

"So, now what?"

_Good question._

We sat on the deck of the ghost ship, talking about what we had found. Luffy and Nami had explored the captain's quarters, finding the ship's log. It had suddenly stopped about two weeks ago.

"I think we should leave." Chopper said, looking at Sanji's head. "We tried to help, but that girl obviously doesn't want to be found."

The quality that made Chopper useful was that he got calmer when he had someone to care for.

"We can't just leave her here!" The cook brushed Chopper away. "We've got enough food for about another week and a half. We can wait until she comes out."

"Sanji, it'll take that long to reach the next island!" Nami exclaimed, getting up and pacing the deck.

I watched them argue through half closed eyes. Things were getting out of hand. This ship was dangerous. It was rotting away, a floating wreck. We shouldn't stay here any longer than we had to, even if it meant leaving the girl behind.

"I have an idea. You could all just leave me alone."

A very different voice came from behind us, causing us all to jump. I was on my feet with my sword half drawn before I had turned to face the sound.

The girl stood before us, blade in hand, a slight breeze stirring her hair. Cold blue eyes stared back at us, chips of ice set into her pale face. She glared at us with distaste.

"Oh maiden of song, how your harsh words trouble me-" The love cook started toward her but quickly stopped as the sword was pointed at him.

"I said leave me alone pirate." She growled.

"Hey." Nami came to stand beside Sanji. "We don't want to hurt you, just help out."

"Yeah. That's exactly what my 'friends' said before they sold me into slavery!" She yelled.

With that, she attacked. I met her with all three swords in place, stopping her in her tracks. She glared at me.

"Don't get in my way." She said.

"Then don't attack my friends." I growled around my katana.

The only response I got was a flash of steel for the next few minutes. Finally, I drove her back enough for me to glance at my crewmates. Chopper and Nami were back on the Merry Go, Luffy not far behind them. Just a few more minutes and we could sail away, and leave this demon girl to rot.

"Why do you try so hard? What drives you?"

I turned back to the girl. She was panting slightly, the battle taking its toll on her. She was excellent with a blade, but not enough for me to worry about.

"To be the greatest swordsman in the world." I said.

A moment of silence, then the girl began to laugh. I felt a vein pop out on my forehead.

"You? The greatest swordsman in the world? Not a chance! Not with such heavy handed swordplay!" She said, regaining her breath.

"What did you say?" I said. She smirked, realizing she had hit a nerve.

"Your a little frog croaking in your puddle. You have no idea just how big the world is."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little light went off, telling me I had heard those words before. But I wasn't paying attention. I felt myself shaking with fury. This pathetic, shipwrecked wench had insulted my dream, Kuina's dream. I was not going to take that.

"And what would you know about being the world's greatest?" I asked, barely keeping myself under control.

"Obviously a lot more than you do. Care to find out more?" She taunted. I shifted into a ready stance.

"Gladly!" I yelled.

I charged forward, holding my swords in an X in front of me, completely forgetting who, more like what, I was fighting. I dimly heard Sanji yelling at me, but I didn't stop. Time to show her what it meant to be the future world's greatest. I yelled out my attack as I charged forward.

"Oni Giri!"

_Clang_

The force of my blow sent her skidding backwards. I heard assorted gasps from the crew. Even Sanji muttered a very amazed 'no way'. Shocked, I backed off, lowering my swords.

She had stopped my Oni Giri attack.

There was only one other person who had done that. 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk. But for some girl to stop it…

"Heh." Her sword dropped to the deck with a clatter. "Not bad at all. I'm impressed."

Time slowed down as her eyes closed and she bean to fall. Before I could think, I had sheathed my swords and caught her in mid fall. Why, I didn't know. After what she said I should have let her fall on her face. Even so, I lifted her into my arms, only to almost lose my balance. The ship listed to one side.

"Let's go!" I yelled to Sanji, who already had one foot on the railing.

Together, we jumped off the sinking ship, landing hard on the deck of the Merry Go. As soon as we were on board, the sails unfurled, and we sped away. I looked just in time to see the wrecked ship sinking into the water, erasing all evidence that it had ever existed. Except for the girl I was still holding in my arms.

"Nice one swordsman." The love cook said, gaining his feet.

"Hmph. You and your womanizing ways must be rubbing off on me." I said.

"What was that cabbage head?!"

"You heard me!"

"Zolo!"

I turned from the argument to see Chopper waving at me from the cabin, which served as Nami's room.

"Zolo, bring her in here." Chopper said, waving a hoof at me.

I did as he said, laying the girl down on a couch I didn't know was in here until now. For a moment, I stared. There was more to her than she appeared, dressed in rags and pale as a ghost. Something else stirred my curiosity, like how she knew swordplay so well.

"Hello! Earth to swordsman." Nami waved a hand in front of my face.

"What?" I said, blinking.

"Go take a nap or something. You can stare at her later." Nami said, pushing me towards the door.

"I wasn't staring." I said. "And why are you staying?" Nami winked.

"You don't expect Chopper to get her out of those rags, do you?"

With that she closed the door, leaving me standing there. Yawning, I settled down on the deck, letting the sun warm me. Something told me it was the last moment of peace I was going to get that day.

* * *

It wasn't until dinner when Nami and Chopper reappeared. We all listened, some more eagerly than others, as Chopper gave us the news.

"She's going to be okay." A joint sigh was let out. "She's suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. When she wakes up, I'll let you know what she can and can't eat at first." The last comment was directed toward Sanji, who nodded.

Nami muttered her agreement around a mouthful of food. Eating resumed as normal, which was basically a war over food. When you have a captain with a rubber stomach, you learn how to protect your food pretty fast.

"Okay!" Luffy left his food for a moment, a first in history. "When she's better, we can hear her story! Maybe she needs some limes…"

Before anyone could react to that comment, we were all thrown from our seats. The ship rocked violently as the kitchen door flew open. Usopp, who had been on watch, stood shaking, tan face turning white.

"It's a storm!" He managed not to stutter as he spoke.

"What?" Nami exclaimed. "A storm? No way!"

"Not just a storm." The marksman chattered. "A typhoon!"


	4. Taming the Storm Part 1

Hi everyone! Just another chapter from little old me. Hope you like it. It's a two parter so I'll try to get the next part asap. Reviewer response time!

**ChibiMishaSan - **You're soo close! But not quite. Good guess, though. I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out : p

**babe300 - **Yep! I like storms... Who is this girl! Keep reading to find out! All will be revealed, just part of the storyline and all... : p

**13thShadowKnight - **Vampire cats are cool! Just putting that out there... yeah... here's my update!

**Stripes of Scarlet - **Yay! Someone likes my story! I'm glad!

**csnap13 - **Yeah, it's gonna turn into a Zolo/OC fic, but it's gonna happen really slowly. I love slow relationships! I should probably put that in the summary, shouldn't I...

**OffTheWalls33 - **Pixie sticks are awesome! Their like a legal drug or something... Update is here!

Yay! So many reviewers! hands out cookies and milk I love you all! In a non awkward way of course...

Oh yeah! This isn't Zolo's POV anymore. Who's POV is it? Well, I guess you'll have to read to find out. (It's not that hard:p )

**Chapter 4**

**Taming the Storm **

**Part 1**

I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the room around me. A wooden ceiling stretched above me, broken only by a swinging lamp. Looking around the small room, I could see that it was occupied by a dresser, one other bed, a full length mirror, plus a desk covered in maps and writings.

Sitting up slowly, I found someone had changed me out of the rags I was in. Kaki capries covered my knees, leaving my calves and feet bare. A light, almost peach colored tee shirt adorned my top half. Feeling around my neck, I felt the tiny, strong chain still there. That's a relief…

Leaning against the headboard, I sat up slowly, feeling my head spin with each movement. I guess going for food for so long takes its toll on you…

Glancing at the bedside table, I had to do a double take. A pitcher and cup sat there along with a bright red apple. Pouring what tasted like some kind of juice into the cup, I sipped at it, feeling my stomach protest and welcome it at the same time. Eating the apple slowly, I let my mind wander the last few events that I could remember.

I remember the swordsman, how I had fought him. The three sword style had been a nice challenge, though oddly familiar… Hmmm… I'd probably find out later. The fact that I had been captured by pirates once again was what was killing me. Why wasn't I locked in the brig or something? Instead, I was given new clothes, food, and a bed? Something wasn't right here…

Suddenly, the ship shuddered slightly, groaning like a living thing. Finishing off my food quickly, I shakily walked to the cabin door and opened it. Stepping out onto the deck, the wind instantly began tugging at my hair. Dark clouds adorned the horizon, small flashes of lightning lighting them up. Shivering, I slipped into the ship.

I saw a small hallway stretching out in front of me, with four doors. One was open, light pouring out of it. Loud voices accompanied with the sounds of a meal drifted from inside. Not wanting to face the crew quite yet, I slipped past that door and inspected all the others. One led into a room full of hammocks, obviously the crew's quarters. Another had a set of stairs leading into the bottom of the ship. The last held the bathroom.

Just as I was leaning into the bathroom, the ship was violently thrown to one side. With a small yelp, I tumbled into the room, barely avoiding cracking my head as I went. Picking myself up, I heard snatches of a conversation. The words 'storm' and 'typhoon' kinda stood out. But all that was forgotten as I sensed something much worse.

The ship shuddered, and my senses were overwhelmed with the sensation of rushing water.

Bursting out of the room, I saw one of the crew standing in there in the hallway.

"Hey!" I said, making the guy jump.

His curly black hair was just above chin-length and had a beige checkered bandanna over it. He was wearing dark brown overalls that came just past his knees, a white sash tied around his waist, and beige boots. On his left wrist he wore a blue and white striped armband. He had large round dark eyes. Most noticeable was his long and skinny nose that was slightly reminiscent of the carrot nose on a snowman.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"No time." I grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the stairs to the very hull of the ship. "Are you good at fixing things?"

"Yeah, why-"

He stopped talking as we burst into the bottom of the ship. Water sloshed around out legs, almost to our knees. A good sized hole on the starboard side of the ship continued to gush water. The guy I had by the arm began to shake. I turned to see his eyes wide.

"We're all-l-l g-g-gonna d-d-die…" he trembled like a leaf as he spoke. Taking him by the shoulders, I shook him a bit.

"We are not gonna die." I said firmly. "Now I need you to get a grip and get what you need to fix this while I take care of the water. Alright?"

He blinked for a second then nodded, salvaging what he could to repair the ship. I waded over to the hole and stood as close as possible. Kneeling down, I closed my eyes and summoned my power.

"Aqua." I whispered.

My necklace began to glow a deep blue as the water stopped coming in. Slowly, it began to recede back into the sea, leaving the hull as dry as it was before, if not drier. Opening my eyes, I saw the guy staring at me.

"Did you do that?"

"Just patch the hole." I said, gritting my teeth as I surpressed the water.

He did as I said and soon the ship was waterproof again. I sat down on a random box with a sigh, feeling a bit dizzy. Note to self: Get strength back up before trying a stunt like that again. The ship was still rocking crazily from the storm outside, but for the most part, I could take a moment to breathe.

"Wow! How did you do that?"

I looked up to see the guy sitting across from me. I grinned.

"Very carefully." I said. "Who're you?"

"I'm the brave Captain Usopp!" he said. That could have been believable if his knees weren't shaking so much.

"Sure." I said.

A loud thunderclap sounded from above us, reminding me we weren't out of the woods yet. I jumped up, but didn't go anywhere.

What was I doing? Helping pirates… After all that had happened, you would think I would be smart enough to leave them alone. But I guess in this case, it was sink or swim. Literally.

Making up my mind, I walked unsteadily towards the stairs.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Usopp called.

"Stay down here in case another leak springs." I ordered without turning around. "If it's bad enough, call me. I'm gonna go up and see if I can help."

"Okay… but what's your name?"

I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"Aly."

With that, I left Usopp and ran straight into the fury of the storm.

* * *

Gasp! More suspense! Well, at least you know the girl's name now right? Right?... okay, review please! 


	5. Taming the Storm Part 2

Hi guys! Thanks so much for waiting so long for the next chapter. My family went crazy for a while. We all know how that goes... Moving on!

**Pyro Hiei's-gothshadowdragonofhell - **wow, you've got a long name! But it's cool.I've been getting alot of 'update now damn it' lately but I guess that shows just how much I'm loved. You get a cookie!

**Icold5 - **Sorry if Aly seemed a bit bossy. She wasn't ment to be. She was just taking control of the situation because we all know just how reliable Usopp can be in a crisis... sometimes... anyway, yes, this will eventually become a Zolo fic. And I agree. Zolo is smexy. : p

**ChibiMishaSan - **Yay! I love partys! Here's your new chappie!

**13thShadowKnight - **Yeah, vampire cats pretty much rock. Never fear, the new chapter is here!

**Yuka Kitsune - **The blood will be explained, don't worry. Yay! I'm on a fave list. You get a cookie!

**i love athrun - **Thanks! New chapter is here!

**kitsuneofthedarknessflame - **Yeah, suspense is like that. But it keeps people coming back for more at least.

**Avast! - **Yes, swordswomen rock! You guys keep coming so close! I'll give you a hint. Aly is related to Mihawk. There, that should keep you hanging. I'm so evil! Happy Birthday! Even though I'm like, a buncha days off...And no, Aly's name isn't Alysia and she doesn't cut... not to say I won't give her another distructive habit later, but that's only a maybe...

Okay! On to the chapter! And thanks again to everyone for waiting it out!

**Chapter 5**

**Taming the Storm**

**Part 2**

Rain plastered my hair and clothes to my body, the wind almost ripping the door out of my grasp. Somehow, I managed to close it and take in the scene around me. Four people ran around on deck, trying to keep the ship in one piece and not fall over board at the same time.

I stumbled to the bow, the wood creaking from the storm. A thunder clap deafened me as a huge wave crashed onto the deck. The water pushed me up against the railing. I opened my eyes just in time to see someone fall.

The air itself seemed to slow me down as I raced over to the other side. I caught sight of someone else sprinting towards the railing, but I got there first. Without a second thought, I threw myself over the side, latching on to the railing with one hand and catching the wrist of the person falling with the other. Blonde hair was plastered to his face as he looked up in surprise. A wave flattened us against the ship, but I refused to let go. Narrowing my eyes against the howling wind, I began to gather my power once more. If nothing else, I had to save one of us…

My necklace had just begun to glow when a strong had grasped my wrist.

Dark eyes were lit up by a sudden flash of lightning. With a single heave of his arm, he pulled me over the railing. I pulled the blonde guy's wrist up to the railing before I tumbled to the deck, breathing hard. A moment later, and the blonde guy lay on the deck next to me. I looked up at our rescuer and found it was the swordsman I had fought on the old ship. From what I could tell, he was very tall, taller than me anyway, and had a lean muscular build. Of course, I expect that coming from a swordsman. In addition to the black bandanna and light green sash around his waist, he wore a plain white short-sleeve shirt that had three small buttons at the neckline (which were all unbuttoned), loose black pant and black boots. He glared at me for a second before calling out.

"Luffy! Nami! Get over here!"

The other two hurried over as another wave washed across the deck. This time, I didn't have any footholds at all. The water pushed me across the wood, sending me into panic before a hand latched onto mine. I looked up to see an arm stretching all the way over the deck to mine. My mouth fell open as I stared at my rescuer, spitting out sea water as I realized I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

He looked a few years younger than me, maybe seventeen. He was a skinny looking boy with messy short black hair, dark eyes and a scar under his left eye. He was wearing a red button-up vest/shirt, cut-off blue shorts, sandals and an old-looking straw hat. The guy smiled crazily as he retracted his arm back to where the others were huddled.

For a moment, that face changed. A younger, more youthful face stared back, though the too-wide grin was almost exactly the same. Blake…

"That's the third time someone's almost fallen overboard." The girl said. Nami was it? "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine." I forced myself to answer, shaking the odd vision from my mind. I could think about the people I left behind when we weren't in the middle of a huge storm.

"What are you doing out here anyway? Do you have a death wish?" The green haired swordsman glared at me. I glared right back.

"I came to see if I could help." I said. The blonde guy chuckled.

"Anything short of stopping this crap storm would probably be useless." He said, trying to light a cigarette and finding it impossible.

We all fell silent at that, the wind and rain whipping around us. I dove deep into my thoughts. I didn't have much strength left after that stunt I pulled in the hull, and I didn't have that much to begin with. But… I had to do something…

_You have great powers Aly. And with great power comes great responsibility. Protect the ones you care about with your life. Do you understand Aly? Keep them safe. _

Words my father had told me when I was young, when he wasn't an… I can dwell on this another time…

But, these were pirates! Scum of the earth, and defiantly not people I cared about.

Then why did I jump overboard to save one of them?

I stood up and looked at the storm clouds covering the sky. I was running on empty, and blowing away a storm was not on top of my to do list.

_Protect them…keep them safe… _

"Where are you going?" Nami asked. Now everyone was staring at me.

"To save us." I said.

Barely keeping my balance against the raging storm, I managed to get to the rigging and began to climb. I could vaguely hear the other's shouts over the howl of the wind. Ignoring them, I hauled myself into the crows nest. The wind was even more vicious up here, tearing at my bare skin.

_'Please, please let this work. Let me have enough strength left to make this work!'_

My necklace began to glow a light blue as the air around me stilled. Slowly, it began to swirl in my hands, forming into a spinning ball of air. It continued to grow, air currents pushing and pulling me too and fro. Finally, it was enough. Cutting off the air flow, I stood shakily and took a deep breath. It was do or die. Literally.

"AERO!" I threw my hands into the air, launching the ball with as much strength as I could.

It flew up into the sky, speeding toward the clouds. Even the wind and rain paused for a moment. You could have felt the earth hold its breath, waiting to see what magic would unfold. Summoning all the power I had left, I clapped my hands above my head.

A moment of silence.

Then a sound, like the tolling of a church bell, and the sky exploded.

The force of the wind knocked my over, causing me to do a face plant on the wood. The air howled its triumph as the clouds blew away over the horizon and out of sight.

A clear sky stretched above me, stained pink from the setting sun. I lay there panting, my necklace losing its glow. That was the last piece of serious work I could do for now, at least until I had rested and regained some measure of strength. That's what happens when I push myself past my limits. At least I drove the storm away…

"Are you okay miss?"

Through my semi-daze, I noticed a blonde head staring at me, closely followed by the rest of the him. He was very tall, I figured he was around my age,with short blond hair that covered his left eye, leaving only his right eye and curly eyebrow visible. He had just a little bit of hair growing on his chin, was fairly thin and pale, and was smoking a cigarette. He certainly looked out of place on a pirate ship, dressed in a black suit with a blue pin-stripe shirt underneath and a tie. I recognized him as the one I had saved.

"Yeah." I said, sitting up slowly. "I'm okay. Just a bit dizzy."

The guy gave me a grin.

"Then let's get you down to the kitchen. Once you have some of my world class cooking, you'll be as good as new."

I returned the smile. "Sounds like a plan."

As he helped me up, I couldn't help but think to myself that maybe… just maybe… I had finally found a decent group of people on this cursed sea.

Maybe.


	6. Playing with Fire

Hello faithful readers! Sorry it took so long to update. I ran out of stuff I had already written and you definatly don't get alot done with your parents breathing down your neck making sure your not on MySpace or whatever stupid thing their paranoid about now. So anyway, I convinced them to put my computer in my room, so maybe I'll be able to update alot more often. Once again, Sorry! Okay! On to responding to the very well loved and faithful reviewers! Lets hear a round of aplause ladies and gentlemen!

**Garra's Pyro RACCOON**- rofl Garra's Pyro Raccoon! That is amazing! Really, I laughed for half an hour imagining Garra with a pyro raccoon. Just another peice of evidence that, yes this may shock you, I'm truly insane.

**Dani-chan**- Man, everyone is reviewing under different names! Oh well, adds to the chaos I guess. Guess what? YOU GET A BROWNIE! YAY! Okay then... Aly was just kinda tired during that last part, but I'm trying to make her as sarcastic as possible without driving Zolo up the wall. After all, how horrible would it be if they didn't get together...eyes angry mob Sorry, sorry, I was only joking. Anyway, sorry about the mistake. The descriptions are from a different fanfic that was written in a different style. I just copyed and pasted . Sorries!

**13thShadowKnight**- I love toe socks! I have, like... oh, I only have three pairs... I thought I have more...oh well, I don't have a spinny chair yet, but I hope I will soon! Their so much fun, in a non awkward way of course.

**Icold5**- Yay! Everyone's in character! I'm always worried about that cause somedays I can't capture the bad ass attitude. Thanks!

**xX-Avast-Xx**- Yep, I love answering questions! It means people are paying attention to my story. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I've never heard of an aero bar, but I'm glad you think of my story when eating candy. Sugar is my crack... That was random...

**Mischievous Sin**- Another one that changed their name! We should have a name changing party or something...I love rum! Even though I'm not old enough to drink yet... yeah...

**Mirathin**- Sorry I kept you waiting! Man, I feel horrible about this...oh yeah. bows for applause

**DreamergirlxXx**- This will turn into a Zolo romance fic, but very v e r y slowly. Draw out the drama for as long as possible and all, makes a better story. Though I promise there will be warm and fuzzy and sweet parts towards the end. Promise.Yay! I got added to a fave's list! Does small scary dance Okay I'm done.

**Blizzardrake**- More is here! More is here! Once again, sorry it took so long to update!

**BinkaWV**- wow... I like wows.

**mechanical kitten**- cries for joy An offcial fan... sobs my life is complete. Yes, Zolo is the bestest ever! And no, Aly isn't Mihawk's daughter, though she does have a connection with him. It's gonna be so funny to see his reaction when he finds out she's Mihawk's- oops! Almost gave it away! Keep reading. All will be revealed.

Man, I feel sooooo bad about not updating sooner. Really I do. Hope you can all forgive me. Anyway, here's the new chapter! Everyone who reads it and leaves a review will get a virtual cookie!

**Edit: Another feared Oni Giri edit. You know, the more I think about Zolo running around yelling 'Rice Ball' the more it entertains me... Sad, isn't it?**

**Chapter 6**

**Playing with Fire**

I've seen a lot of bizarre things. My days as a bounty hunter always proved interesting. Joining up with Luffy only made life weirder. The Grand Line was in a category of its own. But a mere girl blocking my Oni Giri, then blowing away a storm with her bare hands… Just who the hell was she?

I watched with a scowl as Sanji helped the girl down from the crows nest, holding her arm as she shakily climbed the rigging. Hair and clothes plastered with rain, she looked more tired than when I fought her on the ship.

"Wow!" Luffy yelled, running over to her when she got to the deck. "That was really cool! How did you do that?"

"Very carefully." She said, casting an eye over him. "Gum-Gum Fruit, right?"

"Yeah! How did you know?" Luffy asked, pleasantly surprised. I only glared.

"Umm…"

Before she could answer, the door of the ship flew open. Chopper and Usopp came running across the deck.

"What happened guys?" Usopp asked when they reached us.

"And just where were you?" Nami said. "Hiding under a hammock while we're out here risking our lives? At least Chopper was doing something useful."

We had sent Chopper to make sure the medical supplies were safe. With such a sudden storm, he hadn't had time to secure them like he usually does, so he had to protect them himself.

"I was doing something useful!" Usopp said indignantly. "I was down in the hull patching leaks."

"Right…" Nami said, crossing her arms.

"It's true." The girl said, standing on her own with a death grip on the railing. "I left him down there before I came up to the deck."

"Wow Aly, you look tired. Are you okay?" Usopp finally seemed to notice the extra person in our midst.

"Aly? Is that your name?" Luffy asked, obviously missing the part where she had been addressed as Aly. I shook my head at our 'captain'.

"Enough! You're coming with me!" Chopper yelled, growing bigger so he could push through us. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her into the cabin and slammed the door.

"Boy is she in for it." Nami giggled. "I'm going to find something dry to wear. Can you have a warm meal waiting for us Sanji?"

"For you, my princess, I would swim the Grand Line to find you a hot meal."

Hearts practically popping out of the air, the cook raced into the ship. Nami giggled once again and headed back into the cabin.

"Alright! More food!" Luffy yelled, bouncing below deck.

I followed without too much thought, my focus still on what kind of trick that girl was playing. Finding her on an abandon ship in the middle of the Grand Line was just a bit too convenient for my tastes. And having the power to control the weather? With the Devil Fruit, Luffy's power was believable… But who was to say Aly… no, don't get too familiar, the girl hadn't eaten one too?

"Hey Zolo, what happened to the storm?" Usopp asked, ignoring Luffy as he sang a song about food.

"She blew it away" I said, changing into dry clothes. "She controlled the air somehow."

"How bizarre…" Usopp said.

"Yeah, that was pretty weird but totally cool!" Luffy said. "I defiantly want her to join my crew!"

"Luffy, you don't know a thing about her, other than she can control the weather." I said. Luffy's grin got bigger.

"All I knew about you was that you were a demonic beast, and I asked you to join my crew. And look how that turned out."

Yeah. Look how **that** turned out…

"Umm… guys? She can control more than the air…" Usopp said.

"What?" I rounded on the marksman, who shrunk back.

"Yeah… during the storm, she dragged me down to the hull and there was a huge hole! Water was already up to our knees! But I, the Great Usopp, wasn't afraid!" Usopp went into story teller mode, meaning half of what he said wouldn't be true. "I said, 'Never fear, I'll fix that hole!' Aly drained the water out of the ship and held it back while I patched the hole! But then she ran off in fear and I, Usopp the Brave, stayed behind to made sure the ship wouldn't sink!"

He ended his story by strutting around and nodding to Luffy's 'cool's. But at this point, I could care less about his delusional little stories, but he had said something a bit more important. She could control water…

What the hell was she?

We all sat in the kitchen, relaxing after our latest crisis. Sanji had made some sort of soup and was currently stirring something in a pot. Nami had informed up Chopper was giving Aly an earful about exerting herself when she should be resting. Usopp was telling the crew about his brave act in the hull, which everyone listened with a bit of a smirk.

"And then I, Usopp the Brave, patched a hole that was as big as three, no, four men!"

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened."

I felt my head snap towards the door. Chopper came into the room and plopped next to Usopp. Aly walked in behind him.

She had her hair done up and a long braid that still fell to the middle of her back. She wore a plain blue skirt with a soft, cream colored shirt. She crossed the room quietly, taking a seat near Nami. Apparently, she thought meals were calm on this ship, considering everyone was quiet. Calm? That's laughable.

Immediately, everyone began shouting at once while Sanji swooped on her with hearts and food. I glared at the girl for a moment. She didn't seem at all disturbed that five people were clamoring for her attention. In fact, she acted like it was completely normal, slowly eating her soup. Growling softly, I must have caught her attention because she glanced at me from across the table.

Those blue eyes… for a moment I stared, then it became obvious what I was seeing. There was more than blue in her eyes. There were flecks of gold hidden in the sea of blue…

Shaking my head, I yelled,

"SHUT UP!" Everyone quieted, staring at me. "One at a damn time, you're giving me a headache."

While everyone was facing me, I saw Aly give me that same stare like just a moment before. Scowling, I glared back, refusing to be caught up like I had been only seconds ago.

"Me first, me first!" Luffy was bouncing up and down, so much that the straw hat on his head fell off. Without missing a beat, he stretched an arm and plopped it back on his head, the other arm still waving in the air. "Can I, can I, can I, can I?"

"Luffy, just ask the stupid question already!" Nami yelled.

"Will you join my crew?"

Silence. Nami shook her head. Usopp's eyes bulged out of his head. Chopper sweat dropped. Sanji just closed his eyes. I put one hand on my forehead. All of these things could have clued Luffy in on our opinion, had he been paying attention. Instead, he was fixed on Aly, who was staring at him like he had a second head.

"Join your crew?... ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?!?!?!? I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO WANDERING THE WORLD WITH A BUNCH OF-" She cut herself off there, taking a deep breath and started again. "Gods… Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"Great…" she said, clearly thinking Luffy was a psychopath. Some days I was bound to agree with her. "Well, other than the fact I don't know you, you don't know me."

"So what's there to know?" I asked, leaning back.

"Depends on what you want to know and whether it's public knowledge or not." She said, finishing off her soup.

"I have a question! Would you like some hot chocolate, fair maiden?" Sanji asked, handing her a mug.

"Please and thank you… um…"

"Sanji."

"You're so sweet Sanji." Aly said, allowing her hand to linger on his as she took the mug from him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nami shoot her a murderous look. Smirking inwardly, I made a mental note to remember that for future ammo.

"I have another question!" Luffy said, beginning to bounce again.

"Better ask it before your crew rips your head off." Aly said, sipping her hot chocolate.

I picked my own mug up, savoring the warmth. At least the cook knew how to do his job…

"How did you know I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit?"

She was silent for a moment, looking at Luffy from over the rim of her mug. For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in those odd eyes of hers. Was that… sadness?

"I have… my…" she stumbled with the words for a second. "Blake, my younger brother, also ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. On accident, of course."

"Really? Awesome!" Luffy yelled.

"My turn." Nami said. "How did you blow away the storm?"

"Yeah! And control the water?" Usopp added.

Aly was silent, putting together what would be an acceptable and believable answer no doubt. I leaned back in my seat. This should be good…

"I'm…an Elemental. It means that I was born with the power to control the four elements. You know, water, earth, air, and fire. That's how I could do all those things."

"You know what I think." I spoke up suddenly, surprising everyone. "This whole thing is some sort of trick."

"How could you doubt the word of a fair maiden? You must really be an idiot…" The cook said, glaring at me.

"Maybe you're just a lovesick fool who's too blind to see the truth staring at him in the face!" I said, momentarily distracted from the girl.

"What would you know about truth cabbage head? All that hollow head of yours has in it is rocks!"

"Well, I guess that means yours is too full of perverted thoughts, straw hair!"

"Roronoa Zolo."

My name was softly spoken, drawing my attention from the argument. Aly was sitting in front of her empty bowl, staring at me as if for the first time.

"Three swords, black bandana. Now it makes sense why you don't believe me. Faith in anything but your abilities and swords is pretty much non-existent, huh? But now instead of a bounty hunter, you're a pirate." Aly smirked. "Well, I can see how you would need solid proof put right in front of your face, with a head full of rocks after all."

I glared, trying to come up with a suitable comeback and failing miserably. Damn girl only smirked and got up, taking her dishes to the sink.

"Wow Zolo! I didn't think you would just let yourself get yelled at like that!"

"Shut up Luffy!" I yelled.

"What are you doing?"

Sanji's slightly panicked question drew my attention back to Aly, who was now standing in front of the stove, a burner spitting up flames at her, only inches away from her hand. Her smirk had transformed into a full daredevil grin and… her necklace was glowing red?

"Hey Luffy, I have a deal for you. If you give me a ride home, I'll think about your offer. But there are some things I have to do at home before I can completely say yes. Deal?"

"Sure Aly!" Luffy exclaimed. "But what are you gonna do with the fire?"

Without warning, she muttered a word and put her hand in the fire. I was half out of my seat, before I realized there were no screams, no indication of pain whatsoever on her face, only a satisfied smirk. Walking over to where I was half standing, she waved **a handful of fire **in front of my face.

"Is that proof enough for you, swordsman?" she asked, her necklace glowing red and a ball of flame resting in her hand. "Looks like we're gonna be shipmates for a while."

"Just because you have special powers or whatever doesn't mean I trust you." I said, scowling and standing up. She closed her hand, extinguishing the fire, and looked at me with a smirk. I only glared, sure she was hiding something.

"I never asked you to trust me." She said, an emotion I couldn't define in her voice. "Just to take me home."


	7. Recent History and Deadly Dreams

**DreamergirlxXx** - Cookies are any kind that you want. That's the great thing about getting them over the internet. OMG! I get to have another virtual sugar rush! Yays! Thanx, I'll share with you!

**xX-Avast-Xx** - She did say something, but since it was Zolo's POV, you don't get to know... yet... don't worry, Aly will play with fire alot more in this story. And yeah, Avatar's a pretty cool show, though I really didn't make the connection untill you mentioned it. I guess the idea was floating around in my brain and attached itself to this story... yeah... cyber aero bar! Yay!

**Mirathin** - Another virtual snack! Today just keeps getting better. And yep, Aly can play with the elements. Just imagine the endless possiblilties... with limits of course... yeah...

**mechanical -kitten** - Wow, you wrote a long one. That's okay though, just more I get to write back. Yeah, Zolo's face would have been priceless, but we'll get to see a similar look later on. When? Wouldn't you like to know... A Sanji manipulator?... I guess, but not so much... I'll have to add that somewhere... I'm gonna have to find an Aero Bar...definatly gonna have to find one... as for Starburst jellybeans, they sell those for cheap around here. I'm in New York. Where be you? Cause maybe that's why I can't find an Aero Bar... whatever... spiffing is a cool word... Thanx for the end of chapters thing. It's always nice to know you're doing something right. But considering I've got 40 reviews and I'm on chapters 1-6, I think I just might be doing something right... See! I wrote a really long winded response back... told ya...VIRTUAL CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM! YEEEESSSSSS!

**YounamemeAkira** - Want more? Okiees, here be more.

**icefox35** - Yep

**Mischievous Sin** - I know. Being able to burn things on a whim is pretty awesome. Wish I could do that... Yes! Pie!

Wow, I get alot of cyber dessert from you people. YOU ROCK! Puttin that out there. Okay, here's chapter 7! It's kinda a filler but hope you enjoy it anyways. Teaser: It's setting up for later. What comes later? Wait and read!

**Edit: Yet another Oni Giri edit. Really, this is getting rediculous. Every time I go to edit one of these, I get the image of Zolo running around with his swords yelling 'rice ball'.**

**Chapter 7**

**Recent History and Deadly Dreams**

Aly's POV

Yawning, I stretched on the sofa, surprisingly comfy for such a worn object. Throwing off the blanket, I put on some of the clothes Nami had lent me and went outside. Cool, pre dawn air rushed in to meet me, and I quickly closed the door before the draft could reach the still sleeping Nami. I've only been on the ship for two days and I already learned not to interrupt the navigator's beauty sleep. Going down to the kitchen, I was greeted by the scent of breakfast cooking.

"Morning Sanji." I said, plopping down at the table.

"Good morning fair maiden." The cook almost touched his toes with his forehead as he bowed. "Unfortunately, the meal isn't done yet, but you can have some of what's ready."

"Thanks, but I can wait another 15 minutes to eat with the crew." I smiled as he shrugged and turned back to the stove.

Honestly, I don't know why I got up so early today. Chopper, who I found out was the doctor, said I should be getting as much rest as possible. But what was the point of waking up and trying to go back to sleep?

I was jolted out of my reverie as Zolo bumped into me, sweaty and smelly after his morning work out, making me wrinkle my nose. Without a word, he filled a giant cup with water, gulped it all down, filled it again, and sat at the table, glaring at me from over the rim. I raised an eyebrow at his overly hostile attitude. Usually it wasn't until the afternoon that he started glaring at me. At breakfast he just ignored me.

"Is there a problem?" I asked him, watching him out of one eye. Thanks to peripheral vision, I saw Sanji turn from the stove to watch Zolo and I. The swordsman grunted at me. "Really? Wow. That explains everything."

Putting his water down, Zolo scowled at me.

"Who are you? Really?" he asked.

"What?" I said, completely thrown off guard by the question.

"You heard me. There's no way, not even in the Grand Line, that we would find you on that ship. That you would know what the Gum-Gum Fruit is. And that, by some freak of nature, you have the magical ability to control the weather. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that you actually blocked my Oni Giri attack, something only one other man has been able to do. Who are you? Some one from the Marines? Or maybe a bounty hunter waiting for someone stupid enough to pick you up?" Clearly done with what he had to say, Zolo stared at me, waiting for an answer.

"How can you speak like that to a lady? Were you raised in a barn you-"

"Sanji." I stopped him mid insult, making him look at me. "If Zolo wants to know, then he can know." My voice was dangerously quiet, my eyes boring holes in Zolo's. To give him credit, he didn't even flinch at my icy glare. "What do you want to know, huh? Why I was on that ship, just waiting for someone to find me? Well here's to honest to the gods truth.

I ran away from home two years ago. Why? Wouldn't you like to know. After reaching shore on an island a fair distance from my home, I began traveling the sea with a group of people on a cargo ship called Lightning. I spent a happy year there, working among the crew in return for the voyaging. I was close to the captain's daughter, almost like a best friend, when a pirate ship attacked us. We fought, and the captain was killed. The pirate captain agreed to let one of us go, either Marie, which was my friend, or me. And Marie said, take her. So they did, then sank the ship by cannon. Later, I escaped the pirates, only to be caught by a group of slave drivers two months later. They sold me to that ship you found me on, at first as a slave, then I graduated to plaything. And then, when I drowned one of them with only a cup of water, they found out about my powers and made me use them for their own greedy reasons." I was standing now, rage barely kept in check. "So because I was on the inside circle, I started helping all the other slaves. Sneaking them food, caring for them when they were sick, bringing them clothes, all sorts of things. Then, we started organizing a rebellion. It happened alright. I stole the keys and set them free. They grabbed what weapons they could and started fighting the pirates. Too bad no one won." At this point, my eyes stung with unshed tears. "I was the only survivor of that battle and by some miracle, a ship happens to come by after only two weeks. But it's a pirate ship. Then you and your little friends had to come exploring after I was stupid enough to show myself. And you know the rest from there. And here I was just thinking I had landed amid a decent group of people. Hah, too bad they just can't trust me for five freaking seconds. So, thank you Zolo, for allowing me to speak of my past, cause you know, I just wanted to relive it one more time."

With that I stormed out of the kitchen, leaving a speechless Zolo and Sanji behind. I ignored the rest of the crew, who were just entering the kitchen, and walked right out to the deck.

It just had to be today. Just had to be the day that someone gets me to bring it all up, that makes all the memories of that horrible time of my life come flooding back. Because today marks two years since I was stupid enough to leave, no, to run away from my problems in hope of restarting what I couldn't stop. I clenched my hands into fists, willing them to stop shaking from the sheer terror that came from the past seven years of my life.

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't expected to survive the rebellion. I hadn't even expected us, the slaves, to win. Well, really, no one wins when everyone dies. I was so ready to face what was next, whether it be heaven or hell. But no, the gods have other plans for me obviously, cause here I am, stuck on a boat with Zolo.

Zolo… I haven't even known the guy for a week and he's already acting like I'm the worst thing to ever happen. And even though he's about 19, just like me, he treats me like I'm some helpless child he found on the street. I don't know whether I hurt his pride or what, but it's getting to be annoying…

And to be perfectly honest, once again… I had hoped that… maybe… he and I would… I don't know… get along? I've heard a lot about him, and he wasn't described as a bad guy. A bit head strong, just a tiny bit suicidal towards his dream of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, but not a complete jerk. I mean, he was left alive after all, so Mihawk must have seen something in him, right?

You know what, screw Zolo. If he wanted to be an asshole, be my guest. Hell, that may even be his normal attitude. But if it was, then I want off this ship as soon as possible. I escaped that kind of people before. I was not going to put up with it again.

"Hey."

I looked up to see Sanji standing there, balancing a tray of food on one hand.

"Hey." I said, removing the tray as he sat down beside me. "What's the occasion?"

"Chopper said you need to eat something, or you'll never fully recover." He said, gesturing for me to eat.

"How thoughtful of him."

"It is his job."

"Hm."

We sat in silence for a moment as we ate.

"I'm sorry. About what happened in the kitchen. That wasn't meant for you." I said.

"I know. Zolo can be… a bit of an idiot sometimes…" Sanji said.

"Sometimes?" I laughed. "It seems to be his default setting."

"Yeah, some days I think so too. But he was way out of line pushing you for answers like that. And I'm not even saying that because you're a woman."

"You seemed to have a certain weakness for them, so I noticed." I smirked when Sanji simply nodded. "On that note, I really wish you would call me by my name. Regardless of what people say, you can't wear it out."

"Alright fair- … Aly." He paused for a second. "None of us on this ship have a happy past. And I wouldn't expect you to either."

"Thanks Sanji, but that wasn't my past." I smiled sadly. "My past comes on a need to know basis and right now, no one needs to know."

Sanji nodded understandingly and we spent the rest of the meal talking of past adventures, the non painful ones. Finally, Sanji decided he should go check on the situation in the kitchen. Agreeing, I climbed to the crow's nest for the watch duty I'd been assigned and allowed my mind to split in half. One half diving deep into the task of planning what to do when I got home, the other half registering the horizon as I scanned it. I heard the door to the ship open, a few words exchanged, and the door closed again. Glancing downward, I saw Zolo walking across the deck, probably to find a good place to nap the whole day away. Finding the said spot, he plopped down, folded his arms behind his head, and promptly began to snore. I think I literally sweat dropped at this display.

Making a cushion out of my arms for my head, I let my gaze rest on Zolo. Maybe if I stared at him long enough, I would figure him out. I found my eyes tracing the curves of his muscles, the short bright green hair, the angular qualities of his face. Suddenly, a thought bubbled up in my mind.

Zolo is kinda cute…

I can't believe myself! I had just gotten in a fight with this guy and now I was checking him out?!?!? Had I unconsciously forgiven him that fast?

Though, really, he couldn't have known what he was getting into when he asked about what happened. It's not story often told I guess… Another thought came to mind.

We're a lot alike.

This thought I regarded with a bit more acceptance. In retrospect, I guess we were similar. Our dreams led us down a one road path that stretched forever until we came to that fork in the road. The place where we either succeeded or died. Zolo had already gotten an extension when he reached that moment. I wouldn't be so lucky. Because for me, once I started that path, I couldn't stop. And either I won or lost. Lived or died. Became a full fledged Elemental or died trying. My dream had no second chances. Only the determination, endurance, and fate of the one attempting to succeed. My dream had two choices.

Live or die.


	8. Whispers in the Wind

Greetings from my world everyone! It's a pretty scary place, but everyone there says hi! Anywho, I think I'm updating too fast cause only a couple people revieweded. Is there even such a thing as updating too fast? No, I didn't think so...

**Mirathin - **YES! ONE PIECE PLUSHIES! I can never find those! Or am I just looking in all the wrong places? That's also possible...

**Mischievous Sin - **Yay! Sugar insted of salt. Just like the riceball that girl gave Zolo when he was imprisoned at the naval base! I don't know the storyline by heart... of course not...

**icefox35 - **I would love to hear about your characters. But I already messaged you so you probably know that...

**DreamergirlxXx - **I'm god huh? Never got that one before...Oh well, enjoy yourvirtual sugrar rush.

**mechanical-kitten - **Australia? That's awesome! I have a friend that just went there last summer for a people to people trip. And I've been asking around about the aero bars and apparently, I'm just plain ignorant... So I plan on buying an aero bar as soon as I find one! And so the quest begins...

Yay! Just thought I'd say yay for no apparent reason... anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. There'll be a bit of Zolo's pov in the next chappie (if I remember) so he will be back. This chapter is mostly just character development... mostly... Enjoy! And don't forget to review!

**Chapter 8**

**Whispers on the Wind**

Aly's POV

Regardless of my new found ability to automatically forgive Zolo, I avoided him for the rest of the trip to Synatra, an island port on the way to my home. The plan was to stock up there and then head for the small archipelago that was my home. I spent most of my time in the kitchen with Sanji, occasionally helping out the other crew members with the odd jobs of running a ship. When outside, I sat up in the crow's nest, placing myself as far away as possible from the ever snoozing swordsman on deck. I practiced my elemental skills as soon as Chopper cleared me, fearing that if I got rusty I wouldn't be ready for what was to come...

Just a bit of philosophy, life doesn't make sense. Never has, never will. The greatest scholars, philosophers, and random people on the street have all pondered the same questions. 'What will life bring next? Why?' I had pretty much thought I had my life all figured out. One miserable thing after another with no distractions until I achieved my dream. I could go from there later, providing there was a later. But I wasn't ready for the curveball life threw me next.

"How long do you figure we'll be here?"

"Two or three days tops. Depends how long the guys take."

"Ah."

Nami and I stood on deck, admiring the scenery Synatra had to offer. It was a beautiful island, a forest with trees trapped in autumn's colors and snow capped mountains rising in the distance. The town was small for a port, but large enough to be comfortable in.

Luffy ran off as soon as we docked, apparently to find some restaurant so he could eat meat… Sanji went in search of provisions. Usopp was looking for new stuff to add to his inventions. Chopper was stocking up on medical supplies. And Zolo… he had taken off for the mountains. Nami said probably to train.

"Hello?" Nami said, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Wha?" I said, shaking my head.

"I said, let's go shopping! You can't wear my clothes forever!" she said, swinging a purse over her shoulder. "Come on!"

"But… I don't have any Berries…" I said. Nami only grinned.

"Well… I'll lend you some, but only if you pay me back with interest."

Biting my lip, I tried to think of something I could give her. At the moment, I had nothing, but when I got home…

"I can pay you back when we get to my home, but for now, I guess I'll take the IOU." I said.

"Great! Then let's go!"

By the time we returned to the ship, I had five bags of clothes and a debt I would defiantly regret later. The sun was just touching the sea, turning it a brilliant golden orange pink. Sighing, I set my bags down and watched the sun sink into the sea.

It was moments like this that I almost regretted the risk I was taking. It would be so easy to let it all go. Sit here on the beach every night, watching the sun set and the stars rise. To spend each day living a simple uncomplicated life. To let my elemental past slip into memory. But I wasn't where I was today because I took the easy route. I was here because I wouldn't give up and this moment in life was no different.

"Nami! Aly! Dinner's ready!" Sanji's voice wafted up onto deck.

Heading down to the kitchen, I found everyone else already seated and stuffing their faces.

"Where's cabbage head?" I asked, taking a seat next to Luffy, which was dangerous when you actually wanted to eat.

"Still out training, most likely." Luffy said around a mouthful of food. "He does that a lot when we dock somewhere."

"Does what a lot?" I asked, filling my plate with Sanji's latest.

"Stays out training the whole time and comes back at the last second." Nami said. "He usually makes us late because Luffy won't leave without him."

"Wow, I wonder why…" I mumbled sarcastically.

"Yeah, some days he makes us all wonder. The only good thing he's good for is fighting. At least he's devoted to something." Sanji said.

Devotion huh? If it was just devotion, Mihawk would have just killed Zolo and gotten it over with. No… it was something else. Something beyond the description of words, because devotion wouldn't have changed Mihawk's mind. And trust me, I know Mihawk would have killed him otherwise. I know…

"Where is he? That stupid swordsman has gone too far this time…"

"Oh calm down Sanji. He's probably so wrapped up in his own world he lost track of time."

"Then why is Aly so worried? I hate to see a pretty girl in distress…"

I half listened to the conversation that drifted up to my perch in the crow's nest. Nami and Sanji were out on deck, talking softly. The only reason I could hear them was because I was listening to the air.

We had been docked in Synatra for three days now, quickly approaching a fourth. And still no sign of Zolo.

The whole crew had assured me that this was normal, that there was nothing to be worried about. But I was anyway.

Sometimes, the elements tell me things. Words and whispers carried in air and earth. Visions appearing in water and fire. Sometimes they were important, most of the time not. Glimpses of the future, epics of the past, the lives of people half a world away I didn't even know, I saw them all. Never enough to qualify me as full fledged oracle, but enough that I trusted what I saw or heard. And right now, I was pretty afraid of what the wind was telling me.

_Forest… monster… fight… swordsman… blood… death… _

Fragments? Yes. Something not to be concerned by? Hell no.

I looked up at the moon shining down on me, wishing that I could just let it go. I mean, I had ignored Zolo the entire trip here, wishing he would disappear. And now that he had, all I wanted was for him to be snoozing on deck, wasting the day away.

Not that I cared what he did or whatever. I just wanted to get home…

For my peace of mind, I'll keep telling myself that.

"Aly? Come on, it's midnight. Let's go to bed!" Nami yelled up to me.

I climbed down the rigging and walked silently into the cabin. But instead of pajamas, I grabbed a sweater.

"I'm taking night watch." I informed Nami as I walked back on deck, pulling the sweater over my head. "Don't wait up."

"Aly, he does this all the time. It's not like he's gonna die out there-"

"Don't say that." I said sharply. "Don't even think it. It's different this time. You're his crew, you guys should have felt it by now."

Her silence was all the answer I needed. Turning back to her, I saw her staring at me with a strange look.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"You… you don't like Zolo? Do you?"

I think my jaw made a clunking noise as it hit the deck. It was a good thing it was dark because my face turned the color of Luffy's shirt.

"**Excuse me**?" I said, amazed someone could even ask that question.

"I've seen you looking at him." Nami said, a smirk creeping across her face. "You **do** like him, don't you?"

"He's handsome, I'll give him that." I said, trying desperately not to loose what little sanity I had after that comment. "But like him as in attraction, no."

"But you just said he was cute." Nami teased.

"Nami, there's a lot more to love that thinking someone's cute and having a deeper level of understanding than what's on the skin. Trust me. I would know." The serious tone of my voice erased her smirk, replacing it with a look of confusion.

"From personal experience?" she asked, no longer joking.

"From a past that comes on a need to know basis." I said. "Look, I'll give Zolo tonight. If he's not back tomorrow, I'm going out looking for him."

"If you don't like him, then why are you so worried?" Nami asked. I was silent, trying to find a way to explain my powers to her.

"The wind… has brought me a message." I said. "A message that speaks of death."

Suddenly, the air suddenly got colder. And it wasn't from the weather.

It was from my heart icing over in fear.

Fear for Zolo.


	9. Lost and Found

Hey guys. I'm really tired and kinda down right now so I'll just skip the formalities today. Thanks to everyone for reviewing.

Santoryu -three swords style For those of you who didn't know...

**DreamergirlxXx** - Good? Oh well, it was nice while it lasted... just don't mind the walking talking cat that's currently traveling the globe... I just hope my neighbors don't find out... And as for Zolo... read on...

**Mirathin** - No... I'm not gonna make a next chapter... I'll just skip right to the end when Zolo and Aly... oh, I should shut up now... yeah...

**Icold5** - Well. this chappie doesn't have Zolo and Aly goodness, but next chapter will!

**Mischievous Sin** - Yes! Hot Cocoa! My day just got better!

**xX-Avast-Xx** - Snogging... that comes later. Now, warm and fuzzy scenes, that's next chapter...

**Intothewakingdawn** - She didn't want the pirates to know about her powers, and by the time she found a way of escape, she was in the middle of drowning some guy in his drink. Once they knew, she couldn't escape...for some unknown reason... At least, I think that's what happened... Thanks for the review... I'm eloquent! Had to look that one up in the dictionary...

Wow! Lots of expectations for Zolo and Aly. Sorry to disapoint you peoples, but that's next chapter. I'll get it done asap so all my lovely readers will give me more cyber snacks! Untill next time! Don't forget to review!

**Edit: The beginings of my attempts to fix the horrible ooc-ness in the next chapter. Nothing in this chapter really changed except for two lines at the very end. Nothing big.**

**Chapter 9**

**Lost and Found**

Zolo's POV

Isn't it funny how the best laid plans almost always go wrong? After living with Luffy for so long, I should know that. Too bad I didn't learn…

I headed up to the mountains because I knew it would piss everyone off if I came back a day late. That was my plan at least…

Wincing as I moved, I limped to the entrance of a cave I was sheltering in. The moon was rising high in the sky, the stars winking from their place in the heavens. A cool breeze swept through the cave, feeling all too good against my too warm skin. Leaning against the rocky wall, my grip on my sword tightened as I saw the trees sway.

The last ones had come at dawn.

They were watching me. I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for the moment I was finally too weak to defend myself. Unfortunately, that moment was coming much too fast.

Sinking to the ground, I glared at the surrounding forest. This was not the way I was gonna die. Soon, Luffy and everyone else would come looking for me. I'm sure they think something's wrong by now.

I'm sure…

Aly's POV

The sky was turning a dusty pink, the sun just beginning to peek over the mountains. I stood on deck, just… staring. Zolo wasn't back. It was four days since we docked in Synatra. And I was going to fulfill my promise of finding the damn swordsman.

Throwing on the black sweater jacket I had chosen for my search, I slung my bag over my shoulder. The crew had been kind enough to pack it for me. It was full of food, and medical supplies and whatever else they thought I would need.

The crew… they stood there on deck with me, watching me move down onto the dock. At first, everyone had volunteered to go after they heard I was going. But, surprisingly, Luffy had said no. Making a very captain like decision, he told me to find Zolo. Somehow, it had clicked with him that something was very wrong, and because of my ties with the earth and sky, I was possibly the only one who could find him.

'Besides,' Luffy had said, holding his hat in his hands. 'If something has happened, everyone doesn't need to be out wandering around. You can do it Aly. Bring Zolo back.'

"Hey Aly."

I looked up just in time to catch the sword that was flying towards my head. Luffy looked at me seriously.

"It's one of Zolo's extras. Just in case." He said, every amount of child ness he had disappearing in the face of danger.

Truthfully, from the little I knew of Luffy, I was surprised he wasn't already out there tearing the forest apart with his bare hands. But, I guess he still wanted to act like everything was normal. So did I. Which is why I was the one going and not him. Even though he didn't act like it, he was the captain, and if something ended up happening to him too, then the dreams of everyone on his ship would be ground to a halt. Me, I was expendable. If something happened to me, it wouldn't affect their travels. No doubt, Zolo would find his way back, and I didn't show up within the next day or so, they would set sail.

But I was trying to think positive thoughts right now.

"Thanks Luffy." I said, tying the strings of the sheath around my waist. "I just hope I won't have to use it."

"Be careful." Usopp said.

"Try not to get hurt." Chopper ordered.

"Don't get lost." Nami commented.

I looked at the last two members of the crew. Luffy simply looked at me, conveying all that needed to be said without words. Turning to Sanji, he looked as if he was going to jump off the boat and join me. But instead, he took his cigarette out of his mouth and ground it beneath his heel. Staring at me, there something in his eyes that I didn't expect to see from Sanji.

Concern.

Fear.

For Zolo.

"Bring him back Aly." Sanji's voice betrayed nothing about the emotions he had shown me. "Just bring him back."

It was a bit after noon when I got my first sign I was in finally in the right part of the forest. I found a boulder and a few surrounding trees in pieces. Feeling the edges, they were smooth. Zolo's training handiwork.

Deciding this was a good enough place to lunch, I sat on a rock chunk and took off my bag. I had just started in on an apple when something caught my eye. Something I hadn't noticed before.

Specks of blood in the grass.

Abandoning my lunch, I inspected the area closer. All around there were foot prints, obviously Zolo's. Then, off to the side, were more. These told more of a battle than of training. Along with the boot prints there were… paw prints?

Yes, those were defiantly paw prints. Even though they were bigger than my foot, they were unmistakable. Here, even more blood was visible, dried to the grass from a few days in the sun. Following the trail, I walked into a small clearing, where something lay gleaming in the sunlight.

"Oh shit no." I said, running over to what I knew would be bad news.

Picking up the item, I held it in my hands, feeling it's weight practically crush me.

It was one of Zolo's swords.

As a swordsman, it just about defied the laws of nature to leave your sword lying around like a common toy. Swords were an extension of the body, and were to be treated as such. Zolo wasn't the kind to go against the unspoken code of swordsmen, even though he practiced Santoryu instead of traditional styles, it was still the same rules.

Fight with honor. Accept defeat. Respect your weapons.

It was the same for any warrior, regardless of status or style. If Zolo left this behind, something bad had happened.

Bad. Psft. That doesn't even begin to cover it.

Running back to my bag, I slung it over my shoulder. I began to tie Zolo's sword around my waist when I noticed exactly what sword it was.

Kitetsu III. One of the most feared swords in the known world, it was said to be cursed, and curses anyone brave enough to wield it. It was also a fine grade sword, the 'worst' in the Kitetsu trilogy. The original Kitetsu was a supreme grade sword and Kitetsu II was an excellent grade sword.

But Kitetsu III was special. At least to me. All the famous swords were special to me and my family. After all, we were the ones who created them. But that is very defiantly a story for another day.

Finished attaching the sword around my waist, I took off at a dead run, no longer having to look for subtle signs. The trees had slash marks on them, the underbrush had been flattened or uprooted, everything on this path was utterly destroyed.

The farther I ran, the more my mind went wild. What the hell was Zolo doing with Kitetsu III anyway? There was no way he could have it and not know what it was, so why did he leave it behind? What could have possibly happened? And the fabulous trails of blood were doing nothing to calm my nerves.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I wasn't watching where I was running. So when I ran into something full force, I rebounded and fell on my ass.

"Ow…" I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. "What the hell…"

I never finished my sentence as the stench hit me. The sickly sweet smell that was only associated with one thing.

Death.

Looking up, I saw I had run into a huge hairy… something… or what used to be a huge hairy something…

Creeping around the carcass, I found the head in the mass of black brown fur. One look and I identified it as a wolf. But, one thing was still bothering me…

Why the hell was there a wolf five times a big as I was wandering the forest?

It's body was covered in cuts and gashes that could only be made from Zolo. Even it's tail was missing, a bloody stump left instead.

The gory scene didn't bother me in the least. I'd seen worse while being held captive by the slave drivers. I'd seen worse being done in front of my very eyes.

Casting my eyes on the ground, I saw another trail of blood leading from the corpse away into the forest, heading for the mountains. Stooping closer, I could just make out the boot prints. Following it deeper into the trees, the spills of blood kept getting bigger and bigger, as did my worry. Stumbling through a bit of underbrush, my foot caught on a root and I fell face first into the dirt.

"Today is so not my day." I mumbled, smearing dirt across my face as I tried to wipe it clean.

I stood up to brush off my clothes and smacked my head into something hanging from a tree.

"What the hell?!?!?!" I yelled, scaring the birds from the trees. "It's like some freaking conspiracy against me being able to walk! Stupid…" I trailed off as I actually looked at the object.

I gasped, tearing the thing off the branch it was hanging on. Shaking my head in despair, I stared at another of Zolo's swords resting in my hands.

This one I found was Yubashiri, or Snow Chaser. It was a fine grade sword and had a midareba or irregular pattern on it. Once again, I found myself wondering how the hell Zolo got these swords.

Quickly adding it to the others, I continued my track through the trees, making sure I kept to Zolo's trail. The last thing I needed right now was to lose my way and get lost.

I kept moving until the sun was covered by dark clouds and thunder rumbled overhead. Settling under a tree, I gazed up at the mountains. They were towering over me now, considering I was getting pretty damn close to the base of one. Sighing, I took out some food and munched on it absently, hoping it wouldn't start to rain.

Rain would wash away the trail, and only make it that much harder to find the damn swordsman. I listened closely to the wind, trying to see if it had anything to tell me…

Suddenly, a loud noise made me jump halfway into the tree. It sounded like a roar…

Unsheathing the sword Luffy had given me, I raced towards the sound, only to skid to a halt when I found it.

Another huge wolf had Zolo cornered against a sheer rock wall. And it wasn't just that. Zolo was drenched in blood, probably his own. His remaining sword was being death gripped by both hands, the swordsman himself gasping for breath. Before I could think, I found myself slinging my bag at the creatures head. It hit it's mark and fell at the feet of the swordsman.

"Hey Ugly!" I yelled, watching carefully as the beast turned around. "Yeah I'm talking to you. Why don't you pick on somebody who can fight back?"

Whether it understood me or not, it howled and charged towards me. Tightening my grip on the blade, I ran into battle, my entire being focused on one thing.

Protect Zolo.


	10. Fighting off Hate

Hi everyone! So, it's midnight and I really should be studing for this Global test I have coming tomorrow (today?), but writer's insperation doesn't come around everyday soo... here's a really long chappie for all of you. On to the reviewers!

**DreamergirlxXx** - Yes! Finally, the homework guy gets what's coming to him! Angry school kids of the world unite! Anywho, isn't it always better when it's obvious that they like each other, but it's news to them? Yeah, the crew's gonna notice real soon. Trust me, they won't let it go uncommented. Yes! Pixie Stix!

**Mirathin** - I stopped there so you would come back for more! And it worked, didn't it? Cookies! I love cookies! Or any kind of delightfully sugary snack!

**BinkWV** - Thanks! You get a brownie cause you read my fic and you've never reviewed before! Good for you!

**Mischievous Sin** - Update update update. Such is the life of an author...

**Garra's Pyro RACCOON** - The thought of Garra having a pyro raccoon is still funny, so sorry if I laugh randomly while I write this. laughs okay, I'm done...

**xX-Avast-Xx** - yes, no snogging...yet... It will come, I promise! Just... later...

**cloudaisha10** - Here be the update!

Whoot whoot! 10 chapters, 58 reviews! That's a new world record for me! Even though this is my first (continued) story on this site... yeah... okay, cookies or desert of choice for all! Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!!

**Edit: MAJOR Damage Control on the OOC ness in this chapter. I had to beat myself repeatedly because of the utter fangirl-ness. Hope this is better.**

**Chapter 10**

**Fighting off Hate**

Aly's POV

I charged toward the on coming beast, my grip on the sword so tight my knuckles were turning white. With a yell, I dodged a paw swipe and sliced open the pad. Whining, it began to lick it's paw. Big mistake.

Drawing Yubashiri, I ran full force and skidded under it, running my blades into it's underside. But as soon as I started my attack, the extra sword broke under the pressure. Swearing, I let go of the hilt and kept hold of Yubashiri as I shot out from under the beast and into the rock wall next to Zolo.

"Hi." I said breathlessly, turning so I could watch the wolf. It was still trying to figure out why it's paw hurt and why it's underside was bleeding.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Zolo asked, never taking his eyes off the giant wolf thing.

Glancing at him, I felt my eyes widen. I had to keep my hands firmly on Snow Chaser in order to keep myself from wrestling him to the ground.

Zolo was a mass of hurt, covered in deep scratches all over his body. His right leg had huge puncture wounds in it and his skin was unusually flushed under his tan. In other words, he wasn't in any shape to fight. But not enough so that he forgot to glare at me.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he asked, somehow managing to glare at me and follow the movement of the now extremely pissed off wolf-thing.

"Me? What the hell are you doing still standing?!?!" I exclaimed, almost yelling because of the excellent control I had over my voice.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he yelled back.

"You're the one bleeding everywhere, and I do mean everywhere, and you're asking me what the hell my problem is? You're such a-"

Our little squabble was broken up do to the fact that Zolo flying tackled me to the ground, only a few feet away from the wolf that had pounced on the spot I had been standing in moments before.

"If you're going to be in a fight, then at least pay attention!" The swordsman yelled, slashing at the wolf as it backed off for another go.

I scrambled to my feet, searching for a proper response but found none. The wolf howled and charged towards us again. I dove towards the rocks as Zolo made for the trees. Quickly untying empty sheaths from around my waist, I stuck Kitetsu III into the ground.

"Zolo! Catch!" I yelled, throwing Snow Chaser in a wide arc over the wolf.

Hoping the idiot would catch the sharp, now flying object, I snatched up Kitetsu III as the wolf swung a paw at me. I quickly ducked, bracing myself against the rock wall as I lashed out at it's face. It howled as I managed to slice it's nose, but was distracted by something else. Namely, Zolo hacking away at it from the other side. It crouched, made a flying leap towards the trees, then began to pace back and forth. Zolo glanced over at me, catching me shedding my sweater-jacket and clutching the cursed sword with one hand.

"Now what are you doing? Don't tell me you're planning on fighting with a cursed sword." Zolo growled, scowling at me. Probably because I was using **his** swords. Oh well, he'd get over it.

"This sword wouldn't dare hurt me." I said, sliding my feet into a ready stance. "Just try not to get killed in the next five minutes."

"Yeah right." Was his response before we flew back into battle

We charged towards the wolf, which was growling, pawing at the ground. I tried to ignore the trenches it was making with it's claws. Surprisingly, the swordsman and I worked rather well together. I would distract it long enough for Zolo to get a good hit in, covered him when the wolf managed to get a hit, and generally just helped each other along. Then that damn beast got lucky. And that's when thing just started to get bad.

In one quick motion, it batted Zolo away, dodged my sword, and had it's teeth lodged two inches into my free arm. I screamed, I'll admit it, but that didn't last long. Swinging Kitetsu III in an upward arc, the wolf pulled away at the last second, but not before I could slice off half it's ear. Letting me go, it swung it's head around, howling in agony. I fell to the ground as Zolo ran up next to me.

"You alright?" he asked. I opened my mouth to respond, with a smart comment or an honest answer I'll never know because I saw the beast coming before he did.

"MOVE!!!" I yelled.

For once, the swordsman wasn't quick enough. The wolf's paw made contact with Zolo first, sending him skidding towards the rock wall, swords flying though the air. It batted me away next, sending me straight into a tree. Kitetsu III spun through the air, burying itself a mere inch away from Zolo.

"…holy crap…." I managed, attempting to untangle branches from body parts.

No sword on the face of this world is as particular as a Kitetsu. It used to be that only my family could wield one, mostly because we were the ones who created them. But if one had found it's wielder, chances are that even I couldn't fight with it. If Zolo was it's chosen person… That was just too weird…Too coincidental for my tastes. Then I realized something important.

The wolf had shifted it's attention to Zolo.

Now normally, I wouldn't be concerned. The idiot could take care of himself. But this was not normally. The swordsman was losing blood a lot faster than what could be considered healthy, if losing blood could be considered healthy. He was weaponless, the closest one almost slicing his arm off a moment ago. Plus, he was still a bit dazed from his head meeting the rock wall behind him.

Creeping forward like it was stalking prey, the wolf paused for a moment, then pounced.

"NOOO!!!" I fell out of the tree with my hands to the ground. "TERRA!!!!"

All at once my necklace shone green, the earth shifted beneath me, a loud rumbling suddenly drowned out the feral screech of death.

Then, silence…

It took all the will power I had to unbury my face from the grass, afraid of what I might find. But it wasn't what I expected.

A huge pointed column of earth protruded from the wolf's back. Blood pooled like a lake beneath it, it's face frozen forever in a snarl. Gasping for breath, I made the ground below it open up. The wolf creature was lowered into the ground and instantly covered by the dirt. My necklace stopped glowing, my hands clenched in the grass, and my breath came in short bursts. I was shaking, partly because of the shock and partly because of the energy I just expended. Tearing my gaze from the spot where the beast was, I gazed over at the swordsman.

He looked just as out of breath as I was, glaring at me from across the clearing.

"Hey." I called, my voice shaking almost as much as I was. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He called back. "Just great."

"Brilliant." I said. Falling backwards onto the ground, I willed myself to stop shaking.

We sat there for a while, me lying in the grass trying to calm down and Zolo settled against the rock wall. I watched the lightning lace it's way though the clouds, the thunder shake the heavens above.

Thunder and lightning storms… according to the priests and priestesses at home, such storms dictated change was too come, whether good or bad couldn't be told. But if it rains along with the thunder and lightning, the event would be the greatest life changing thing so far in your life.

A drop of rain hit my face, stirring me out of my thoughts.

Sitting up, I gained my feet and wobbled over to Zolo, who at this point was asleep. Shaking my head, I sheathed his swords, which he must have gathered before he fell asleep, and tied them around my waist, including his white katana. I had to pull the sheath for that one off him, but he didn't even so much as stir. Throwing my jacket on, I tossed my bag over my shoulder and crouched down in front of the swordsman.

All in all, he looked pretty beat up, and that wolf that attacked him must have been a million times tougher than the one I fought. Either that or it caught him off guard and tried to bite his leg off… Reaching out a hand, I rested it lightly on his forehead. Instantly, his hand wrapped around my wrist, eyes flying open. For a moment he just stared at me, like he couldn't remember what I was doing there. Then he let go of my wrist with a half hearted chuckle.

"Actually thought you were a threat for a second."

"I'm glad I got my second of fame." I said, and then pointed to the sky. "It's starting to rain. Is there shelter nearby?"

"Over there." Zolo pointed along the rock wall, forcing his body to stand.

I let him walk a few steps. He didn't even so much as limp, even though his leg had puncture wounds deep enough to cripple someone. I shook my head and followed him, resisting the urge to cradle my injured arm. If he could stick out his hurts, then damn it so could I.

Together, we stumbled into the cave. As Zolo sat down against the wall, I looked around.

It was a natural cave, hollowed out in some ancient time. Amazing that Zolo even found it at all, given how directionally challenged the man was. Must have been by accident…

Dropping my bag with a sigh, I untied the swords and leaned them against the wall. Once again shedding my jacket and plopping in front of Zolo, I began rummaging through my bag.

"So," I said. "Mind sharing why you've been out here for four days and you don't even have your wounds bandaged?"

"When you have a pack of giant wolves chasing you for hours on end, then I'll answer that." He said, watching me unpack. "Why are you out here?"

"Luffy sent me to find you." I said, laying medical supplies on my jacket. "At least I can do my job right." I looked around. "I need some water."

As if on cue, rain began pouring from the sky, soaking the world in a matter of seconds. Grinning, I set out a bowl Sanji had packed me and let it fill with water.

"Why didn't you just use that power of yours?" Zolo asked, still glaring at me. I could feel it even though my back was turned.

"You're full of questions." I said, gazing out into the rain as I spoke. "But if you must know, I have to have something to manipulate before I can use my power. It's not like I'm a magician. I can't make something appear yet, just use it like I want." I sank down at the entrance of the cave. "And even that has limits. Everything I do has consequences. That storm I blew away probably caused damage to nearby islands. The trick I just pulled with the earth probably caused a minor earthquake down in the village. I can't just go flaunting my powers like a freak show. That's why it was so bad when the pirates discovered them…"

I turned back to the swordsman only to find him asleep again. For a minute, I was tempted to hit him for falling asleep while I was talking. I even had my arm raised, until a small smile crept on my face. Shaking my head, I collected the bowl full of water from the entrance and sat down to tend to Zolo's wounds.

Crazy cabbage head. Injured beyond belief and still acting like there wasn't a care in the world. Just as well he fell asleep. It wouldn't do for me to go around spilling the secrets of my powers to every random person I met. Soon, I became so absorbed my thoughts, I didn't even notice when the sun began sinking into the sea. I just kept bandaging until I was done. Stretching the kinks out of my back, I practically jumped out of my skin when Zolo mumbled something.

"What?" I asked, leaning in closer.

"Cold…" he said, obviously half asleep.

Cold? I suddenly shivered, noticing the goosebumps on my arms and my breath in the air in front of me.

Fire. I needed a fire.

Pulling out the blanket in my pack, I draped it over the sleeping swordsman. I began to pull on my jacket, but realized I was about to go gallivanting through a downpour. Common sense declared I should have at least one piece of clothing that wasn't soaked.

Walking toward the entrance, I gazed out into the twilight of rain. I didn't want to leave Zolo alone, but I needed something to burn. And as unlikely as it was I would find something dry, I couldn't start a fire from stone.

I looked toward the sea. The Merry Go was clearly visible from here, a lone pirate ship docked in the midst of small fishing boats. I could imagine everyone sitting in the kitchen, tucking into dinner, and who ever was unfortunate enough to be on watch would be in a rain slicker, looking any sign of my return. Our return.

"God of Air, Aero," I whispered, hearing the air whisper back. "Tell them I've found him. Tell them to send their thoughts to keep him safe while I'm away."

Feeling the air carry my message away, I ran into the forest.

I didn't want to be away a moment more than I had to.

An hour and an armful of soaking wet wood later, I stumbled back into the cave, looking like I had been wandering the bottom of the ocean instead of wandering the forest in search of fire wood. Dropping the tinder on the ground, I wrung out my hair and clothes, creating a puddle. Taking off my shoes, I turned them upside down and created a small waterfall. Shaking out as much of the water as I could, I set them aside and picked up the wood, which was possibly wetter than I was. Dropping it in a pile near the still sleeping swordsman, I sank down next to him with a sigh. Running at top speed though a forest while it was raining looking for **dry** wood kinda took it out of a person. I pulled my jacket around my shaking shoulders. Not only was that tiring, but **damn** that was **cold**!!!

"About time you got back."

"Holy crap!"

I jumped and almost fell over when Zolo stood up. Or should I say attempted to. The slowness of his movements reminded me of his wounds and I got him back down to the floor with an audible whack to the head.

It was unlike him to let anyone see his wounds were bothering him. Overwhelming worry tickled the back of my mind, but I gave it a smack too. It would have to wait it's freaking turn. Trying to care for the irate swordsman and keep my teeth from chattering was taking all my concentration.

"You shouldn't be moving with all your injuries." I said, glaring at him. I went put my hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine." He said, brushing my hand away.

"Right." I said, drying off said hand on the corner of the blanket. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"

Placing my hand on his forehead again, I noted that he didn't have a fever, but my ice cold hand was a poor judge. Once again, he brushed away my hand.

"Fine? I'd say that was an over statement." I said, trying to find the best way to arrange the wood.

"And who made you a doctor?" he growled. At least he wasn't moving and agitating his wounds anymore.

"Don't give me that." I said, noticing his glare even with my head stuck in my bag. "Just because I'm not a doctor doesn't mean I don't know when someone's sick."

He watched silently as I rummaged around the bag a bit more and finally came up with a lighter. I smiled. Good old Sanji.

"Like that will do any good with soaking wet wood." Zolo muttered, drawing the blanket closer around him.

That was the last straw.

Throwing the lighter on the ground, I stood up, my jacket falling from my shoulders. I curled my hands tightly into fists. Shaking like a leaf in the wind, I opened my mouth, but only shook my head because I couldn't find the words. Storming outside into the rain, I stopped at the tree line, took a deep breath, and screamed.

No words, no nothing. Just pure pent up frustration, anger, and confusion. When I ran out of breath, I took another one, and another one, until I felt like I was going to pass out from hyperventilation. Still shaking, I punched a tree, making a dent in it and my hand hurt, even through the numbingly cold rain soaking me. Again. Cursing, I stomped back into the cave, not done with my little therapy session.

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU HATE ME?" I yelled, my voice seeming twice as loud in the little space. I was full out shaking now, mostly from anger and partially from freezing. I swear my hands had a blue tinge to them as water dripped off me onto the floor. Zolo flinched, at what I don't know but I kept on going. "So I stopped your little attack, so I made you look like an idiot in the kitchen, so what? Get over it! You're big enough not to hold a grudge! And when I come all the way out here to save your ass, what do I get? Nothing! That's what I get! Even though if I hadn't come you possibly could have died out here, what do I get? Gratitude, or even a small thank you? No! I get an idiot asking me why the hell I came after him! Do you want to know why Zolo? Do you?" I paused for breath, long enough for Zolo to get a word in sideways.

"Yeah! I for one, would like to know why the only person on the damn ship who truly hates me drags her ass out here to find me! So go on, Miss. I'm so hated. Tell me why you came out here. Because Luffy told you to? What a good little witch you are-"

"I came because I was worried about you! Because the wind had told me someone or something had died out here and it mentioned a swordsman! And I was worried! Hah. Why would anyone need to worry about Zolo, the greatest swordsman in the world? Even though he's backed against a rock cliff with a giant wolf trying to eat him, he can take care of himself! But stupid little Aly had to worry about you! So here I come, into the woods, driving myself nuts after finding sword after sword, following a trail of freaking blood to find you! But oh no, Zolo doesn't need my help. Oh no…"

I sat down and tried to light the fire, but the flame wouldn't spread along the wood. It tried it again, but the shaking of my hand wasn't helping matters. Feeling my frustration build, tears pricked at my eyes.

"SCREW IT!!!" I yelled, throwing the lighter aside. "PYRO!"

Immediately, there was a bright fire casting a glow on the both of us. Drawing my knees up to my chest, I buried my face in my arms, willing my shoulders to stop shaking as tears found their way down my face.

I was soaking wet, worn out from my trek up into the mountains and my little run in with the giant wolf, exhausted from all the running around I had been doing, freezing to the point that my fingers were beginning to numb, and frayed and frustrated from the fear that Zolo would… well, die. You'll excuse me if I cry uncontrollably in front of the last person on earth I would ever want to catch my tears.

"I don't hate you."

I looked over at Zolo, who was staring back with a strange look in his eyes.

"I don't hate you." He repeated. "I thought you hated me."

For a minute, I couldn't speak. Then I buried my face in my arms again as my shoulders began to shake. Trying to hold it in, I found I couldn't and burst out laughing. The moment was just so absurd. First, I accused him of hating me. Then he said he thought I hated him. The classic case of misunderstanding was so out of place I couldn't help but laugh. I even heard Zolo chuckle.

"Alright." I said, looking up at the swordsman. Suddenly the little cave didn't seem so forbidding anymore. "I don't hate you and you don't hate me. So where does that leave us?"

"Don't really know." He said, shrugging.

We sat in silence for a few moments. Comfortable silence at that. I stared at the fire, feeling weak waves of warmth coming from it. The warmth was enough to make me start shivering again, my body realizing how cold it was. I scooted closer to the fire, almost on top of it as I spread my hands out over it.

"Here. You almost dropped it in the water."

I looked over to see Zolo holding out my jacket. Taking it from him, my ice-cold hand registered brushing against his warm one.

"Thanks." I said, the single word about as much as I could manage without my teeth chattering. I wrapped it around me, turning around so my back was to the fire. "So… why did you think I hated you?"

"I should ask you the same thing." Zolo said, his voice holding a bit of a challenge. I didn't rise to the bait.

"Well, for one thing, I was on a ship full of pirates and wasn't dead, so I was a bit confused." I began, counting things off on my fingers. "I hate it when people ask me about my past, so that really didn't earn you any points. The fact that you ignored me or acted like I was some dreaded disease kinda put me off too. Umm…."

"Alright, I get the point." Zolo mumbled. I stared at him. "What?"

"Fine. Don't tell me." I said huffily, turning my face away from him as I pretended to ignore his presence.

"Hmph. If you must know, I don't trust people who have ulterior motives." He said. "Especially women."

"Really?" I responded, raising an eyebrow. "That couldn't have worked out well with Nami. And no wonder you don't like Robin."

"I've seen enough friends turned traitors to be careful." The swordsman glared at me. "Nami and Robin, they're nakama, they've earned my trust."

"Even if you don't like giving it?" I tried provoking more conversation but Zolo merely grunted.

I suppose I should feel honored. I think that's the most in depth conversation I've heard out of him since I came aboard the ship. Shifting slightly, I let out a soft hiss as the material of my jacket chafed on my bitten arm. Gingerly removing myself from the jacket, I saw the bandages I had sloppily applied before had fallen off. Probably a combination of the water and trying to wrap bandages with one hand. Damn it all. I picked up fresh bandages when they were snatched from my hand. Zolo simply deadpanned at me.

"Well come here." He said, nodding to the spot in front of him.

I sat down in front of him. He made me unbend my arm, and began bandaging it. He was quite good at it too, probably from all the injuries he had acquired over his years of bounty hunting and such. I had to hold in gasps every once in a while, but I couldn't keep myself from wincing. Finally, he was done, allowing me to take my arm back. I admired the handiwork.

"Wow. Thanks." I said genuinely.

He 'hmm'ed as I looked around the cave. It was too small for one of those wolf things to get in, and if something smaller came in, we'd probably know it before it got far.

"We should get some sleep. As lovely a vacation as this has been, I really would love to get back to the ship." I said, grinning.

"Sounds good." He said, leaning back against the wall, getting comfortable.

Suddenly, I felt the wind whisper in my ear. Tuning myself to the air, I heard it's message.

_They know. They are happy, and await your return. Be well, daughter Alondra._

Smiling at the message, I guess Zolo didn't know I had better hearing at this moment, because he picked this moment to say softly.

"You should smile more often…"

Before I could speak, the swordsman was already snoring softly, taking my advice for once about getting some sleep. Shaking my head, I touched the white katana next to me.

Wado Ichimonji, the straight road of peace.

Feeling the spirit stir inside the sword, I smiled as I yawned. Half asleep already, I spoke before I completely drifted off.

"Watch over us… Kuina."


	11. Swords of Peace and Eyes of Gold

Greetings from my world, faithful and happy readers. I'm very wrapped up with my Kingdom Hearts fanfic at the moment, so if this story kinda goes down the drain for a chappie or two, please forgive me. Hopefully, once I get a bit more written, the KH fic will be up and good writing will follow for Aly and Zolo. Also, I apologize for any ooc ness from last chapter. Sometimes you can't quite capture the essencsse of Zolo. Wow, I'm speaking like a proper freak tonight... oh well...

**Mirathin - **Thanks... I'm glad you loved it.

**Garra's Pyro RACCOON - **Good luck with the marrige thing... I'll send flowers...

**DreamergirlxXx - **Yes! I inspired someone! That doesn't happen everyday... What you've got looks really good. I can't wait to read the rest.

**xX-Avast-Xx - **Yes, perfect snogging scene, but not quite yet. Also, Zolo was ment to snog anyone. Just perfect for the job, don't you think. As for Kuina... YES! You wina lifetime supply of life! Make sure you don't use it all in one place... And sorry for the ooc ness. Like I said, sometimes it's hard to get the characters just right, but thanks for letting me know.

So here we are at chappie 11. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on my couch writing the first chapter in a notebook... Anywho, enjoy and don't forget to review. I'm going to bed.

PS - This is Aly's dream while she sleeps, but it's also a flashback.

**Chapter 11**

**Swords of Peace and Eyes of Gold**

Aly's POV

_"Sword master Shinto. Your arrival has been long awaited."_

_"My thanks to you. It is an honor to have been invited to your dojo."_

_"The honor is ours, to have such an esteemed swords smith in our midst. And who is this young flower?"_

_"My daughter, Alondra Shinto."_

_I bowed to the master of the dojo._

_"It is an honor sir." I said, waiting until he had bowed and risen before I rose._

_"This is your first trip away from the sea I expect. Are you enjoying yourself?" the master asked, looking genuinely interested._

_"The land has brought me many unexpected things sir. It is a wondrous place, but I fear my heart lies at my home on the sea shore." I spoke politely._

_"Eloquent at such a young age. You have taught her the customs of the land well." The dojo master turned to my father. "Now, let us discuss the business at hand."_

_The master turned away and began to walk into the next room. My father turned to me and said,_

_"Go outside and fetch me the sword. You can do whatever you want after that." He turned and followed the dojo master. _

_Running out to the wagon that had been our home for the six months, I rummaged through the bags until I found the long wrapped bundle. Handling it carefully, I went back inside and soundlessly delivered it to my father. He took it without glancing at me. _

_Going back outside, I wandered around the dojo until I found a small practicing area. There was someone there with a wooden sword, beating against a thick post. Settling on the edge of the house, I my feet dangled as I watched them. Only when she turned around did I realize she was a girl. She froze at the sight of me, and I stared at her._

_"Who are you?" she asked, acting like my better even though she was probably only a year my elder._

_"I'm Alondra Shinto. Aly for short. I'm here with my father, who's delivering a sword to the master of this dojo." I said, then pointed at the fake sword. "Why are you practicing? I thought only boys could be swordsmen."_

_"Well, that's where your wrong." She hopped up next to me, swinging her legs in time with mine. "My father says there's nothing wrong with a swordswoman, it's just not well known. So first, I'm going to become the strongest fighter in the dojo. Then I'll be the greatest in the valley, Then, I'll be the greatest in the world."_

_Suddenly, the master of the dojo appeared at the door._

_"Ah, there you are Kuina. Please, come with me." He cast a glance over me. "You too, if you want." _

_I followed them into the dojo and into a well furnished room where my father sat at a table. Taking my place at his side, Kuina and the sensei sat across from us._

_"Allow me to introduce Kuina, the most promising student in the dojo." The sensei gave her a fond look. "She is also my daughter. She is the one who will be wielding the sword. Have you a name for it yet?"_

_"No, this sword has resisted any attempt at naming. No one has come up with one." My father said._

_"Well then, perhaps Kuina can come up with one." The sensei said, handing the sword to the young girl. _

_But she only shook her head. _

_"I might be able to use a sword, but I can't name it. Let her." She put the sword in my hands, looking surprised at my surprise. "Well, go on."_

_Slowly undoing the wrapping, I revealed a pure white sheath. Grasping the hilt, I pulled out the white katana. I stared at the gleaming sword, remembering the time my father had put into making this. The energy my uncle had spent helping, making sure the sword was as perfect as it could possibly be. This was a the best sword I had seen them produce in my life, and from the rumors running wild around the island, it could well be the last. It needed a name worthy of it's creation, of it's bright future…_

_"Wado Ichimonji, the straight road of peace." I said softly, handing it back to Kuina. "Use it well."_

_Later that day, my father was preparing to leave and had sent me away, claiming I only got in his way. I sat on top of the hill over looking the dojo, watching the busy lives of many pass me by. _

_My mother always told me I was a loner, that I was too deep a thinker for my age of nine. 'You need to let go once in a while.' She said. 'Live a little.'_

_"Hi." Kuina said as she sat down next to me._

_"Hi." I said, closing my eyes to bask in the warm sunlight._

_We sat there together for a moment, before Kuina spoke._

_"Thanks for naming my sword. I really like it."_

_"You're welcome…" I paused. "Do… do you think you'll really become the best?"_

_"I have to believe it, or it will never happen. If you don't believe in yourself, you'll never amount to anything." Kuina said, drawing her knees up to her chest._

_"Do you think... I can become a great swordswoman too? My father won't teach me anything, but my uncle will. If I try really hard, do you think I could?" _

_"Yeah, I think so." Kuina smiled at me, standing up."I have to train some more. There's supposed to be this really strong kid in the next village over. They say he's beaten everyone and now he's coming here to challenge us next."_

_"You can beat him." I said, standing as she did. "I know you will. And someday, when I'm a great fighter, I'll come back and challenge you."_

_"It's a promise."_

_I stood on the deck, watching as home became closer. I could see the villagers standing on deck, waiting to welcome us back home. I smiled. I loved my village, and everyone in it. I loved my island, all the islands around mine. I even loved the warm sea that treated me like a daughter and not a stranger. _

_"Aly. Come here."_

_I turned and walked over to my father, who was getting the boat ready to dock. _

_"Not a word to anyone about the damn sword, you got it? Not one fucking word, or you'll be sorry." He jabbed a finger at me._

_"Yes Father." I said, not daring to meet my father's dark blue eyes. Eyes that were usually clouded over in dull fury. _

_As we docked, the villagers cheered and yelled, glad to have us back where we belong. I pushed my way through the crowd until I found the person I was looking for._

_"Mom!" I yelled, running into my mother's embrace._

_She held me tight before letting me run to my uncle. I squealed as he lifted me into the air, a happy smirk on his face. My mother's eyes were filled with joyful tears, while my uncle's were sparkling with pride. Their eyes were the exact same shade, identical but different, unique. Eyes that I someday hoped to have. Seeing me staring, my uncle grinned. _

_"Don't worry Aly, someday they'll be yours. Just like your mom."_

_I grinned as I stared into their eyes. I looked forward to that day._

_The day I had golden eyes._


	12. Dreams of Freedom and Family

Hi peoples! Man it's been a while. With the end of school and finals and regents and all that other wonderful stuff, I havn't really had time to write much. So I made this chappie extra long to make up for it! More of Aly's past and dream will be revealed! Dun-dun-dun

**mechanical-kitten** - Yeah, having gold eyes would rock. Glad you like my story!

**icefox35** - oh yeah! another one word answer! That's cool, less room it takes up on my reveiw wall of fame.

**Icold5** - Golden eyes rock. Seems to be the general consensus. I'm glad you like Aly more. I'm trying to keep her attitude as well as being somewhat caring... yeah.. quick updates... yeah...

**xX-Avast-Xx**- Asshole is a kind term for Aly's dad. You'll see why in future chappies. I think there will be more flashbacks so Aly's family history can be explained. Yes! People still love my story!

**Mirathin** - Once again... fast updates... yeah... god, the irony is killing me. Anywho, yeah, Kuina is kinda the tie that connects Zolo and Aly right now. Don't worry, there will be more. And they will cause alot more chaos. Lots...

Alright. Like I said, too much schoolwork to talk alot right now, so instead I award everyone with a ton of cyber snacks and an extra long chappie! Enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

**Dreams of Freedom and Family**

Aly's POV

When I had met Kuina, I swear I thought I had found my long lost older sister. We made that promise in the hope it would keep us connected across the vast seas. It was just over a year after I returned to my island that I had received the letter.

I had been at my evening training session with my uncle, determined to keep my promise, when Blake had run up and told me that Mom wanted me. It was about Kuina. I had run all the way home, and was running down our street when my father slammed the front door open. Glaring at me, he made for the local pub, where he went when the world decided to throw a fast ball. Entering my well trashed house, I found my mother sitting calmly amidst the wreckage, a letter in hand. Wordlessly, she had handed the letter to me. It was addressed to me, sent from a place I didn't recognize. Opening it, I had begun to read.

_Alondra Shinto,_

_It is my deepest regret that I must inform you, but I think you have the right to know. Kuina always spoke of you as a long lost sister. _

_Kuina is dead. It is hard for me to write this, and I'm sure it is hard for you to read it. Kuina fell down the stairs, breaking her neck. She died instantly and painlessly. Though it will not heal your wounded heart, I hope it will ease the pain. _

_Kuina enjoyed Wado Ichimonji in the short time she had it in her possession. I hope it does not upset you, but I have allowed the sword to be passed to a new wielder, one that I'm sure will honor the sword as well as Kuina. He will use it well._

_My deepest regrets._

I cried late into the night and only the next morning did I realize the letter was dated a month beforehand. Kuina, the one who had spurred my progress with a sword, my dream of fighting her someday, had been killed by a flight of stairs.

Ironic how the world works.

Speaking of irony, the source of most of it was still sleeping in the cave behind me. Zolo….certainly a strange one. A man sworn to defeat Mihawk, wielding three legendary swords, including Kuina's, automatically thinks I hate him because of a few witty moments, and now he places enough trust in me to get him out of this alive…

Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thoughts, which is what I had been trying to do for the last ten minutes. But if it wasn't the recent dream, or memory, about Kuina, it was Zolo.

I mean, I woke up this morning with the blanket over me. Talk about a softy, although I would never say that to his face…. And there I go again.

"Damn swordsman," I muttered, finally giving up. "Figures I can't get any work done when your around."

Irony? Or expected chaos of life? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, helping out a man with a suicide dream was crazy. But then again, I wasn't the picture of mental health. I had my own suicide mission.

Which was why I couldn't afford to get distracted.

I smirked as I began the next chore on my agenda.

_'A little late for that.' _I thought to myself, standing up in the grass.

Slowly, I lowered my hands toward the ground, touching it easily without bending my legs. Transferring my weight, I stood on my hands. I bent them experimentally. Being on a rocking ship, I couldn't do these kinds of exercises very easily. But on land, it was a piece of cake. Taking away my right arm, I folded it behind my back.

Part of being an Elemental was all about strength. The few people that knew how to cast magic in this world always came across as weak, because they spent their days buried in books. Magicians had it easy. Harness an internal power and you were set. Elementals not only had to master that power, but had to have the strength to use it. It was the history of my people.

Long ago, Elementals were too weak to control their powers, resulting in the seas, continents, and sky of today. So the gods and goddesses passed judgment on all this chaos. They decreed that Elementals had to be approved by the higher beings themselves before realizing their full power.

First, there were the Minors. These were the most basic higher beings that reigned over the four elements. In order to gain the most rudimentary skills, an Elemental had to prove to these beings that they were worthy. I passed that test when I was nine.

Next, once an Elemental has the power to control the elements, they have to hone their skill and control. And the only way of doing that is practicing nonstop and building endurance and strength. Once an Elemental is ready, they can face the Majors, beings that are the gateway to the next stage of elemental growth. At thirteen, I had mastered their power.

The last stage of an Elemental journey is the greatest and most dangerous. To become the best Elemental they can be, the gods and goddesses lay before said person a set of trials. One for each element. Not much is known about them. Elementals who had taken them already are sworn to silence. All that is known is that when someone returns, they drastically improve their powers, and usually become prominent in one element. And some don't return at all.

That is my goal.

"What are you doing?"

Jolting out of my thoughts, I looked toward the cave entrance. Zolo stood leaning against the wall, staring at me. I grinned. Everything looks strange upside down.

"Endurance." I said, switching arms. He shook his head.

"And people say I have a tough training schedule." He sat in the grass, watching me. "Is this part of being an Elemental?"

"Sort of." I explained. "Some people work solely on strength. Others on flexibility. I like to be well rounded."

"And you need this to cast magic, how?"

"It's not casting magic!" I said, mock scowling. "It's manipulating the elements. And Elementals need to be strong so they can control their power. How would you have liked it if I set you on fire last night, instead of the wood?"

"That could happen? Dangerous path you've chosen." Zolo commented, watching as I stood on both arms.

"Yeah well, you're not exactly the picture of mental health either." I grunted as I let my feet begin to drift toward the ground. Except this time I bent backwards.

Zolo didn't speak as I folded in two, looking like I was going to snap in half. My feet on the ground, I slowly began to put my weight back on my legs. My hands leaving the ground, I brought my body back into a standing position. Turing, I saw Zolo staring at me.

"What?" I asked, plopping on the ground next to him, feeling slightly light headed as my blood flow returned to normal.

"No wonder you're strong." He said, shaking his head. "How long have you been doing that?"

"Ever since I can remember." I shrugged. "I was only working on flexibility until I was nine, then I started working on strength too."

I noticed he had Kuina's sword back around his waist, as well as his other swords. My bag sat close by, already packed and jacket draped over it. I raised an eyebrow.

"Eager to be off?" I asked, putting on the jacket.

"The sooner the better." He said, also rising. "At least on the ship there's no damn wolves trying to kill us."

"Just a different kind." I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Then let's go."

* * *

"You sure you're okay?" 

"I heal fast."

"That's what you told me last time we took a break."

"Did you expect the answer to change?"

"…No."

Zolo and I sat by a small stream, taking a short rest. We were almost out of the woods. Literally. At first, I was worried Zolo wouldn't be able to go that far that fast, but once again, he proved me wrong. Not only did the idiot tell me to hurry up, he wasn't even acknowledging the fact that his leg almost got bitten off. If I wasn't telling him we had to stop and rest, he probably would have kept walking until it fell off. Stupid swordsman.

"Hey Zolo?" I asked, unsure of how to start this conversation.

"Hm?" he responded, face currently in a cup of stream water.

"How did you know Kuina?" I watched as he choked on the water, sputtering as he tried to breathe.

"What… how do you know about Kuina?" he finally gasped.

"You have her sword." I responded, nodded toward said object. He scowled.

"And how do you know it was her sword?"

I looked at the water flowing past my feet.

"I met her… a long time ago. It was when my father gave her that very sword, and when I made a promise that I would face her someday." I said softly, now very much wishing I hadn't even spoken. When the swordsman didn't speak, I continued. "That's why I began working on my strength, to learn swordsmanship. My father wouldn't teach how to use a sword. He said it was a waste of time. So my uncle taught me instead. Then… I got a letter from Kuina's father… he said she had died and passed the sword onto another student. I guess that was you huh?"

We sat in silence for a moment, listening to the water trickle past us. I was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. By having Kuina's sword, it symbolized that they had a close bond of some sort. And if they were close, then bringing up the fact she was dead probably wasn't the best thing to do. I had just opened my mouth to apologize when Zolo spoke.

"So you're the one Kuina always talked about." He said, chuckling a bit. "I should have guessed it was you."

"Kuina talked about me?" I asked, shocked without knowing why.

"Spoke of you like a sister most of the time. She said you were the one who gave her the sword." Zolo drew the white katana, holding it up in the sunlight.

"I didn't give it to her." I said, helping myself to the cool stream water. "I just named it."

"You named it?" he asked, raising a critical eyebrow. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face.

"Yeah. And my dad named the Kitetsu III and my mother named the Snow Chaser." I said, pointing to each sword in turn. Now it was Zolo's turn to look shocked.

"Your family named the legendary swords?" He asked in disbelief. I nodded.

"Yep. In fact, and it's not a well known fact, my family created the legendary swords. Wado Ichimonji was the second to the last one ever created." I said, taking a drink of the water.

Before the swordsman could answer, a roar reverberated through the forest. It was then I noticed how quiet the world had fallen. There was no bird song, no sounds of other animals scurrying through the trees or brush… just eerie silence. I met Zolo's glance with my own, and we both stood. Only too late.

Trees crashed to earth as four gigantic wolves skidded to a halt in front of us.

For a moment, nothing moved. The wolves stared at us, jaws dripping and claws digging into the ground. Zolo had a death grip on his swords and I stood with my hands clenched.

"RUN!!!"

Then we were careening through the trees, kicking up dirt in our wake. With a triumphant howl, the wolves gave chase, making the ground shake beneath us. I ran side by side with Zolo, dodging trees and roots with ease. I could see him grit his teeth ever time he put his injured leg down, but his step never faltered. The forest shook behind us as the monsters gained on us, scaring what few animals that remained into a frenzy.

"Which way?" Zolo yelled. I looked up, trying to judge our position and not run into anything at the same time.

"That way!" I pointed to the left.

Surely enough, we emerged on the main path a few seconds later. The port stretched below us like child's playthings. A very belated thought occurred to me.

We couldn't bring these things into town.

A plan began forming in my mind as we ran full tilt down the hill. My necklace began to glow a bright blue, attracting the swordsman's attention.

"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled between breaths.

"Whatever happens, just keep running." I said shortly, trying to find a decent spot to pull off this stunt.

"I'm not leaving you behind." He said.

I met his gaze for a minute, studying him. He held my eyes, his dark ones to mine. I couldn't decipher what meant by that, but I grinned in a daredevil fashion.

"You won't be leaving me behind." I said. "Just giving me space."

With that, I skidded to a dead standstill and faced the oncoming monsters. I heard Zolo yell my name, but I concentrated on the job I had to do. The wolves were almost on top of me, hot breath screaming past my face. I snapped open my eyes to find a mouthful of teeth in front of my face.

"Aero!!!" I yelled.

Everything froze. Suddenly, the wolves flew straight up in the air, soaring until they were mere pinpricks in the sky. Breathing deeply, I raised my arms and felt the air swirl around them. Making a downward movement with my arms, the wolves began flying back towards earth.

"Aly!"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Zolo running towards me. Cursing, I used a bit of air to push him backwards to safety. Then the creatures hit.

Dirt and dust flew everywhere, blinding me. The reverberation from impact was enough to send me flying backwards into Zolo, skidding us both back a good ways. When the dust had settled, I let my power go.

"Do you mind moving now?" A muffled voice came from beneath me.

"Sorry." I said, rolling onto the ground next to the swordsman. Grumbling, he got up and brushed himself off.

"Could have at least told me what you were going to do." He muttered, then noticed I was still on the ground. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, willing myself to stop shaking. My breath came in gasps and my heart was trying to beat it's way out of my chest. Zolo knelt beside me as I forced out words.

"Just… give me a second…" I managed, my hands in fists. Zolo nodded, and headed off to see what the result of my handy work was.

In reality, I was usually like this after using some serious power. Lifting creatures five times my size higher than the mountains, then dropping them with twice the force burned a lot of energy. But it wasn't just that. Even after all I had been through, all I had learned about kill or be killed, I was still affected by death. It reminded me too much of…

Forcing the thoughts from my head, I gained my feet. Shakily standing for a minute, I regained some measure of composure before Zolo rejoined me.

"You alright now?" he asked, casting a glance over me. I nodded.

"Let's just get back to the ship."

I watched the sun touch the sea, turning it gold, then blood red. Red at night, sailors delight. Tomorrow would be perfect sailing weather, and we could finally leave Synatra and it's 'happy' memories behind.

I was sitting out on deck, letting my mind wander over the events of the last few hours. Needless to say, the crew was ecstatic when we got back. Chopper patched Zolo and I up and Sanji treated us to a feast. After filling the crew in on our pulse pounding adventure, I had wandered up onto deck, leaving Zolo to answer the crew's never ending curiosity. I wanted some time to breathe.

"Is this seat taken?"

I looked up to see Zolo standing next to me, fresh bandages wrapped around his arms. I smiled.

"Only if you want it to be." I answered. I got a snort as he sat down, watching the sunset. We sat there for a moment before he spoke.

"Kuina… is the reason I want to become the greatest swordsman in the world." He said, frowning slightly at the memories. "She and I fought, and after she beat me, we swore that one of us would be the greatest in the world. She died the next day."

A slight breeze tugged at the fly aways of my braid, reminding me of my own dream.

"Do you know why I want to be a full fledged Elemental?" I asked. He shook his head. "I promised my mother that I would make something of myself. So I decided to not only become the greatest Elemental since my mother, I would be the best swordsman my island had ever seen. Even if it meant going against my father to learn swordsmanship. But my dream isn't just for me. If I can become what I want to be, then I can restore some measure of respect for my family. I can finally help raise my siblings without glancing over my shoulder, wondering who was going to try and cut me down next. In a way, my dream is my freedom."

Silence. I could tell Zolo had more to ask, but he didn't want to push. Excluding my outburst in the kitchen, this was the first time I had really opened up to any of the crew. I looked over at him, to find his brow furrowed.

"What?" I asked.

"You said that Kuina's sword was the second to last. What was the last?" he asked. I looked back out to the horizon, knowing the answer would lead to places I didn't want to go right now. Out of all the questions…

"The last legendary sword ever created was, and is, the finest in the world. My whole family contributed to its creation somehow. It took two years to make." I paused, trying to find the words. "In the end, no one on or off my island had the strength to wield it, save for one person."

"Hawkeye Mihawk." Zolo growled. I nodded.

"At that point, he had already been acknowledged as the best in the world. Giving him that sword only lessened the chance he would ever be beaten." I saw the look in Zolo's eyes and cut him off. "It wasn't a personal matter. He was simply best suited for the sword. It's not like we meant for it to happen that way."

"What way? And what do you mean not a personal matter?" Zolo asked.

Mentally, I gave myself a sound kick. This was exactly where I didn't want the conversation to go! Well, no backing out now.

"Well… um… you see… Hawkeye Mihawk… he's ummm… he's…"

"Zolo! Aly! Go to bed!!! We set sail in the morning!!!!" Luffy's shouting interrupted my stuttering. Sighing, I got up.

"He's the best." I told the swordsman. "For now."

I turned, and headed towards the cabin. For once, I thanked the gods for Luffy's tendency towards loud bad timing. That was too close for comfort.

I generally don't talk about my family. It raises too many questions. And makes too many enemies.

And I couldn't afford to make an enemy out a crewmate.

Regardless of who my family was.


	13. Figures from the Past

Hi guys! I was having a bit of writer's block, so this chappie took a bit. But it's all good now! It's only been a weekright? Okay, moving on!

**mechanical-kitten** - Yeah, exams are pretty much creations of the devil...

**Mirathin** - Inrteresting? Oh the fun is just beginning!

**ChainofDreams** - I'm out of school now! And the ideas are coming like crazy so prepare for lots of One Piece fun! As for Aly and Mihawk, send me a message. I'll tell you if you're right. Or you can wait for next chapter, because all will be revealed! BANZAI! Oh yeah, I love your One Piece story! It rox my sox!

**xX-Avast-Xx** - Alright, Aly is related to Mihawk. But how? ...the mystery continues...

**Mischievous Sin** - Hey, don't worry about it. We all have things to do that can't be ignored. Happy Graduation!

Alright, the big mystery is revealed. Aly is related to Mihawk. But the question is... how? laughes evily Well, either you've got it figured out by now, or you'll just have to wait untill next chapter. Because next chapter, it will be revealed that Mihawk is her... HA! Wait till next time! I luv you guys... Review!

**Chapter 13**

**Figures from the Past**

Aly's POV

It had been two days since the incident at Synatra, and life had resumed it's normal pace.

"But I want a snack!"

"Wait until lunch is ready! I'm cooking something special for Nami and Aly!"

"But I'm hungry now!"

I turned in time to see Luffy being kicked out of the kitchen, literally. He did a face plant at my feet as Nami walked by with some maps. Sanji was already back down in the galley cooking some gourmet meal for lunch. Zolo was snoring like no tomorrow near the bow. Usopp and Chopper were up in the crows nest, exchanging tall tales. Yep, everything was back to normal.

Normal being a relative term of course.

"Luffy, can't you wait just one half hour? Lunch will be ready by then." I said, lending the captain a hand.

"But I'm hungry now." Luffy grumbled, dusting himself off. "I'll starve in one more half hour!"

I laughed as we walked up to the bow, Luffy taking his normal seat on top of the goat's head. I leaned against the railing, enjoying the moment of peace while it lasted. Across from me, Zolo woke up.

"Hmm? What's going on?" he mumbled, stretching and yawning widely.

"Luffy's hungry." I said, glancing at the swordsman. "And Sanji won't give him something to tide him over 'till lunch."

That got the swordsman's attention. I chuckled as he sat up straight, staring around wildly. A hungry Luffy was something often encountered on this ship, but was usually solved by way of a fight. Zolo's hand was already straying toward his swords, getting ready for the inevitable brawl.

"Hey! Fish!" Luffy said, leaning over from his perch to watch the fish swim by, holding on to his hat as he did so. And completely ignoring the fact that he wasn't holding onto the wood anymore.

All Zolo and I heard was a splash and Luffy was gone. I had just enough time to sweat drop before Zolo was on his feet.

"Damn that idiot!" he yelled, before diving into the water.

"Usopp!" I yelled, catching the marksman's attention. "Luffy just fell overboard! Can you see him?"

Luffy falling overboard wasn't an unusual thing, sadly. You would think that someone with Devil Fruit powers would have realized they couldn't swim by now. But one time after another, Luffy kept falling into the water, and one of us would have to drag him out.

"I don't see him…" Usopp yelled back.

"Wait!" Chopper yelled. "There's Zolo!"

Sure enough, a green head of hair was bobbing a short distance away, with our captain in tow. I could tell by the look on his face Zolo was cursing to himself, swimming as fast as he could towards the ship.

"Hey Nami!" I waved the navigator over. "Can we slow the ship down for a sec? Luffy fell overboard again and Zolo's got him."

Nami glanced over the railing at the two, then shrugged.

"We've got a good wind going, and the current's in our favor. They can catch up on their own."

I could only stare at the orange haired woman as she walked away. Some days I wondered how the hell she had gotten on this crew in the first place…

"A little help would be nice." Came a voice from the water.

I looked over the railing to see Zolo clinging gamely to the side of the ship, Luffy hoisted over his shoulder. Reaching down, I grabbed the back of Luffy's shirt and lifted him onto deck.

"Thanks!" he sputtered, clutching his hat for dear life.

"No problem." I said, throwing him casually over my shoulder, where he made his second face imprint on the deck.

Turning back to the railing, I held out my hand to Zolo. He glared at it like it was a wild animal. I rolled my eyes at his stubborn male pride.

"You're not going to get back on the ship without some help." I said, practically reading his thoughts. "Better to be from me than someone who'll hold it over your head."

He paused for a moment, then accepted my hand. Grabbing his wrist with my other hand, I pulled him up to the railing, where he climbed onto deck by himself. Leaving him to it, I turned to our so called captain.

"Luffy, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't swim, so don't fall off the ship!" I sighed, running a hand over my face.

"Look!" Luffy said, holding out his hat. "I caught a fish!"

For a moment, I was caught between beating the idiot within an inch of his life and laughing hysterically. Too bad for Luffy, Zolo had no such hesitation.

"You idiot!" The swordsman yelled, punching Luffy upside the head. "Are you completely insane? You jumped into the water for a damn fish?"

"Hey Aly!" Nami called. "Can you come here for a second?"

I followed her into the cabin where she had a few maps spread out on the desk.

"What's the matter?" I asked, looking over the maps. They were all of the area surrounding Synatra and a little beyond.

"I was looking over our route to your island and look." She put a finger on the map, right where a long, thin piece of land stretched across the water. "This is in our way! If we sail around it, we'll be going a day out of our way. I wondered if you knew a shortcut."

I smiled, tracing the thin line of land across the paper.

"Actually Nami, the map doesn't show this, but you can't sail around this sandbar. If you did, you would completely bypass my island." I said. Nami gasped.

"But the map says-"

"The people of Synatra know there's an archipelago nearby, but all they know is that they never come to trade. This mark on the map is more for guidance, not accuracy. It simply states that after this place, you can't sail onwards." I said shortly. "And that's all they've ever needed to know."

Nami narrowed her eyes, as if trying to see through me.

"What are you hiding?" she asked. "Why doesn't anyone know about your islands?"

I paused before responding, trying to find the correct sentences to describe my home.

"Nami… there's a lot of things about my home that are… out of the ordinary. Like half the population being able to control the elements, or extraordinary swords being forged there. But there's also a lot of… supernatural things there. Things that… aren't supposed to exist in this world…" I looked at Nami, to find her looking confused. I smiled. "You'll see when we get there. For now, don't change course. There's more than one way to get across a sandbar with an Elemental on board."

"Nami! Aly! Lunch is ready!" Sanji's heart filled voice drifted to us. Nami and I grinned at each other as we left the cabin.

"He'll never stop, will he?" I questioned.

"Life would be boring otherwise, wouldn't it?" Nami said, shrugging. "Besides, I don't see you complaining when Zolo gives you extra attention."

I scowled as she smirked. I didn't like the look on her face.

"Alright. What is it now?" I said, stopping short of the galley. Nami came back to where I stood.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice how much you two hang out together since Synatra." She said, a sly smile on her face. "What happened out there?"

"We…found some common ground." I said, folding my arms in front of me. What the hell was she getting at?

"Ohh… common ground huh? Was that in this alleged cave or amid the trees?"

My eyes widened as I realized what Nami was getting at. For a moment I was completely speechless, Nami just standing there grinning.

"What the hell?!?!?!" I exploded. "You're getting as bad as Sanji! Get your freaking mind out of the gutter! Do you honestly think I'm so shallow?" I scowled at the navigator, who had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Sorry." She muttered. "You guys just suddenly started getting along so I.."

"So you jumped to conclusions." I finished, sighing. "Nami, I told you before. There's a lot more to being attracted to someone than what's on the skin."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Nami asked, losing her false look of shame. "You keep saying it like you actually had a romance life before! What happened to you that you're not willing to share?"

What is it with this crew and opening up old wounds? I took a deep breath and walked past Nami, not knowing if I could face her for this one.

"Nami." I said slowly, my back to her. "According to almost everyone on my island… I'm… engaged." I heard her gasp, but I continued. "It happened right before I left. It was one of my best friends, Liam, who heard about my plans to leave. He thought he could keep me at home if he got me to settle down, so he confessed to me he loved me and proposed."

Nami ran around to face me, a shocked look on her face. I looked at the deck, trying to hide my wet eyes.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"I turned him down. I considered him more of a brother than anything, but his feelings for me were sincere. Somehow, the day before I left, word got around the village that Liam and I were betrothed and to be married. And then I left." I swallowed hard, willing myself to stay in control. "I don't know what happened to Liam, or what ever became of our so called relationship. I can only imagine what the villagers think, let alone what my family will do to me once I get home…"

"Aly," Nami said softly. "If there's so much at home to run away from, why are you going back?"

"Because I have a right to follow my dream." I said, looking up at her. "And no one can deny me my birth right. I might lose everything else in the process. My place in my family, my place among my friends. Heck, I might even lose the privilege to call myself part of my village. But I made a promise, and I have to keep it, at all costs."

Suddenly, I found myself caught in the arms of the navigator. She hugged me tightly before pulling away and looking straight into my face.

"Look's like we have more in common than you thought." She said, once again smiling. "Come on! Let's go get some food!"

I allowed her to pull me into the kitchen, but my thought's were far away. Away with the life I could have lead, if I hadn't run away from it.

* * *

"Hey." 

I cracked open one eye to see Zolo sit down next to me. Closing my eye, I responded.

"Hey."

"So, what now?" he asked. I opened my eyes, squinting against the sun.

"What what?" I asked, turning towards the swordsman.

"You're distracted." He stated. I chuckled.

"Thanks for noticing." I said, leaning against the railing again. "But so are you, because you're talking to me instead of training for the afternoon."

"That devil woman wouldn't let me until I talked to you." He said, scowling as he spoke of Nami. "She said something was bothering you so out with it."

"Well, aren't you the kind and caring one." I chuckled, but humored him anyways. "Nothing's bothering me. Simply thinking of home."

"Oh." He said. "How far away are we?"

"Two days. Give or take." I said.

Saying the words put them into a very unpleasant perspective. I had about 48 hours to prepare for the biggest trials of my life, and what was I doing? Conversing with a man sworn to defeat Mihawk and lying about on deck. Oh yeah, I was real concerned.

A small pinprick moving across the horizon caught my eye. Grabbing the binoculars I had lifted off Usopp, I looked out towards it. I raised my eyebrows at the sight.

"What is it?" Zolo asked, already on guard. Handing him the binoculars, I called to Nami.

"Hey Nami! You got your newspaper already, right?"

She waved the paper around in confirmation. I frowned. If she already got her paper, then what was a messenger bird doing heading towards our ship? Turning, I found it had perched on the railing, pecking at Zolo's head in hopes for food. Holding in a chuckle, I put my arm out and it hopped on.

It was a hawk, plumage a brilliant mixture of brown and white. Talons dug into my skin, as a curved beak turned towards me, golden eyes staring at me. Birds of prey were an unusual choice for messenger birds, but the insignia on the hat couldn't be mistaken, even at the jaunty angle it was perched on it's head.

"Okay. Who are you looking for?" I asked, gently stroking it's feathers with my other hand.

It lifted it's wing in response, revealing a leather bag. Not a purse for payment, just a bag. Frowning, I pulled the letter from the bag, finding it addressed to…me? The hawk spread it's wings, eager to be back in the air. Throwing it into the air, it took off into the sky, leaving me with the letter in my hand.

"Who's it for?" Zolo asked, approaching now that the bird had gone. The rest of the crew joined as well, curious to see who got this special delivery.

"It's… for me…" I said, turning the letter over in my hands. My full name was written on the front in big, blocky ink press letters, not giving me any hints as to who it was from.

"Well come on!" Nami exclaimed. "Open it! Maybe it's a letter from home."

"In that case," I muttered as I opened it. "I should burn it now and save myself the trouble."

Unfolding the letter, I was greeted by elegant, spindly handwriting. I could feel myself grow pale as my eyes skimmed over the writing, not even reading the words. Ignoring the worried looks of the crew, I forced myself to start at the beginning. Each word I read, a little more color drained from my face. My eyes grew wide and I began to tremble.

No… no, this couldn't be right…it was too soon to face this problem! And not only that, if this was right, Zolo would want to fight, and then…

I found myself on my knees on the deck, the letter fluttering from my hand. I buried my face in my hands, taking deep, calming breaths. I heard Nami pick up the letter and begin to read it aloud.

"A contact of mine in Synatra recently informed me of your arrival. I now await you at the first barrier. Let us finish what we started." Nami paused, squinting at the symbols at the bottom. "I don't know what this says…"

"It's the script of my island." I said, taking the letter back from Nami. "The writing of our temple. Only those who grew up on my island know how to write it, and we use it when sending messages, in case it falls into wrong hands." I smiled grimly, shakily gaining my feet. "He must think I'm rusty, not writing the entire message that way."

"Who?" Luffy asked, peering into my slowly coloring face.

"You'll know soon enough." I said, turning towards the bow. The sandbar was in sight, quickly approaching. The first barrier. "Everyone!" I snapped, making them jump. "Get ready to pull up alongside the sandbar. Don't worry about getting too close, it's a sheer drop off from the edge." As everyone scurried away, I stopped Zolo. "I need a sword."

"Why?" he asked, instantly half drawing one. I rolled my eyes.

"To kill you all in your sleep. To fight with, you moron! I can't walk into this battle unarmed, especially being as unprepared as I am." I said. He was about to respond when his gaze focused over my shoulder.

"It can't be…" he whispered.

Cursing, I snatched Snow Chaser from around his waist and ran to the side of the ship. Leaping up onto the railing, I tied the sword around my waist as the ship pulled up next to the sandbar. Directly across from another ship.

It was a small ship, complete with black sail and candles along the edges. It comfortably fit one person. That person was sitting calmly in the center of the boat. Black cape billowing without a breeze, he stood, face covered by a huge black hat. The only thing that could make him more imposing was the huge black sword strapped to his back.

Behind me, I heard the collective gasps of the crew, as well as Zolo's growl next to me.

"Give me my damn sword." He said, barely spitting out the words. I shook my head.

"You'll get your turn." I said shortly, then jumped from the ship.

I landed with a soft thump in the sand, crouched down to soften the impact. Straightening, I drew my sword.

"Well," I said. "I'm here. Are we going to get this over with or what?"

I didn't so much as wince as the man raised his head, catching my gaze with his own, Golden eyes hid the flicker of a smile that crossed his face as he drew a sword similar in size to mine.

"Yes, let's begin."

And with these words, he began to run towards me. Tightly gripping my sword, I charged. In a clang of steel and a flurry of sparks, I crossed swords with the one man I never thought I would have to fight again. Glaring at my opponent, I saw him looking completely bored, golden eyes never leaving my own.

"Nothing's changed has it?" he said, quiet enough for only me to hear.

"On the contrary." I spat through gritted teeth. "A lot has changed."

"Then let's find out how much is different now Alondra."

"With pleasure."

And my fight with Hawk Eye Mihawk truly began.


	14. Fight with a Warlord

You know, last time I looked in the dictionary, vacation ment no work, relaxation, and doing whatever the hell you wanted. And that's what my summer vacation was going to be! Before my mother landed me a job at her work...yeah... imagine my joy... so, updates will come as the will, while I try to convince my mom that a summer job is pointless and will make our lives miserable... my grand scheme...Moving on!

**BinkaWV** - Glad you think so.

**mechanical-kitten** - Yeah, he will. But he won't find out for a while. Nami's not that mean... or is she?...

**ChainofDreams** - YESSS! A virtual sugar rush is yours! Please use it responsibly... was it that obvious? Or are you just smart?... either way, good job figuring it out!

**Mirathin** - Actually, I havn't gotten a flame yet, which surprises me, considering we're into the 14th chapter and all... hmmm... oh well! I'm not complaining!

**xX-Avast!-Xx** - Fights are awesome, yes, but I suck at writing them... don't worry, Aly won't die. Where would the story go without her? Zolo would be so depressed...evil smirk maybe I'll make Zolo die instead...dodges thrown objects just kidding, just kidding! geez people...

Alrighty then, 14th chapter up for the reading! Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

**Edit: Another dreaded Oni Giri mistake. I fixded it. And yes, that's the correct spelling of fixded.**

**Chapter 14**

**Fight with a Warlord**

Aly's POV

I shifted my feet, trying to find a spot of solid ground amid the sand. I clutched Snow Chaser in my hands, focusing completely on the figure in front of me.

Hawk Eye Mihawk.

The greatest swordsman in the world was standing in front of me, regarding me with guarded interest as I flew in for my next attack. He was a figure from my past, one who had been there through it all. And then, suddenly, picked up and left. Right when I needed him the most.

I still haven't forgiven him for that.

"Are you still upset?" he asked, reading my mind.

"Upset? I'm furious! Why the hell did you leave?" I said, jumping back so I could hear his answer without the noise of swordplay.

"It was time to fulfill my duties."

"That's what you said when you left! You left Blake, Eva, me. You left everyone!" I spoke calmly, hiding the boiling rage inside me.

I ran at him with my one sword, not caring that if I struck to kill, he would return the favor.

"You know what Blake and Eva did the night you left?" I asked, aware that the crew was listening as well. "Do you?"

Mihawk gave me a glare.

"This is not the time." He said, trying to knock my blade out of my hand. But I clung to it grimly.

"Oh, but it is, because right now, you're listening." I said mercilessly. He deserved so much to hear this… "They cried their eyes out! That's what they did! And I was the only one to comfort them! You can imagine what my father did next!" I watched, knowing full well the weight the words carried. "You knew what would happen when you left, so why the hell did you leave?"

"To fulfill-"

I didn't give him a chance to respond this time, rushing in for an attack. My anger fueled every blow I landed. I could see him watching me, calculating even in the heat of battle. And it made me furious.

"Why are you rushing to your death?"

His question caught me off guard, giving him enough time to swing his sword around. I blocked it at the last second.

"Because I promised Mom. And you know that." My response was enough to make him pause. We both stood there in the sand, sword tips trailing. I was out of breath, but he looked like he was out for a picnic on a summer's day.

"You're still too young." Mihawk said, challenging me with only a glance.

"That's the point." I said, tightening my grip on my sword, expecting another attack. But instead, Mihawk flipped his weapon so he was holding it by the blade. Extending the hilt towards me, he simply stared.

"Let's be serious about this battle. You seem to have a lot of pent up energy." He said calmly. I grinned.

"Warm up's over, huh?" I said, crossing the space between us and accepting the sword.

"Warm up?!?! If that was a warm up then what the hell is a fight?"

I glanced at the crew, sparing a moment. Usopp was the one who had just spoken, big surprise there. Everyone else just stood there staring. I smirked. The battles between Mihawk and I always seemed to have the effect.

"An interesting crew you've collected." Mihawk commented, following my gaze.

"I didn't collect them. They collected me." I said, chuckling. "Besides, you couldn't have forgotten them already."

"I meet many out at sea. You can't expect me to remember them all." He said, directing his attention back at me.

I spun the swords in my hands, making them pass in front of me at lightning speed. Still not stopping the movement, I spun them at my sides, then behind my back. I threw the left one in the air while I tossed the right one behind my back. Catching them both effortlessly, I grinned like a maniac. This was more like it.

"I see all that training didn't go to waste."

"Not at all."

With one fluid moment, Mihawk had drawn his huge black sword and was moving towards me. I smirked. He really was being serious. We exchanged blows for a moment or two, feeling for weaknesses.

"So why did you leave?" I asked conversationally, leaning into my blades as I blocked his. "And I mean the real reason."

"For the same reasons you did." He said, knocking my swords away. I jumped back as he swung at me.

"I find it hard to believe you were running away." I blocked his attack with one hand and lashed out with my other.

The next moments were spent in silence, all of my concentration on not getting chopped into tiny little pieces. The sand flew beneath our feet as we danced to the song of steel against steel. We battled up and down the sandbar, giving as much as we got. Or in my case more.

It had been awhile since I had last been in a serious sword fight. I didn't count the little spats with Zolo and the giant wolf. They didn't include the skill this battle was. And in my rusty state, it was draining me quickly.

"You're getting tired." Mihawk said, jolting me out of my thoughts with a well placed blow. I jumped back, my arms tired from overuse and vibrations.

"I still think you can read minds." I said, backing toward the ship. I had noticed Zolo was standing right near the railing, sword hilts perfectly in view.

"Not telepathy. Just interpretation." With these words, he placed is sword on his shoulder.

My eyes widened as I recognized the stance.

"Oh shit." I muttered as he ran towards me.

Grabbing the black blade with both hands, he brought it crashing down on me. I barely had time to register the attack before I was skidding backwards in the sand. A good ship length away and I finally slowed enough to fall to my knees. Breathing hard, I dropped my swords and held my side. A burning pain was blossoming on my left, and when I pulled my hand away, it was stained with blood. I glared at Mihawk, where he stood gazing back evenly.

"First blood. Do you wish to continue?" He asked, emotionless in front of the crew.

I picked up my blades and stood. Taking a few experimental swings, I smirked. I had been through much worse. A shallow wound like this wasn't going to stop me from completing my fight.

"Do you remember yet?" I asked, slowly walking towards him. "The crew, I mean."

"Like I said, I meet many at sea. How am I to remember them all?" He questioned once again, standing his ground as I approached.

"Well, you didn't seem to have any trouble forgetting them when you stopped at my small little port hole on that hell-bound ship. Especially a certain person you fought…" I watched with a smirk as the light bulb went off.

"…You are with **that** crew…" He also smirked. "What a coincidence."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I thought." I chuckled. "But enough of that. Are we going to finish this fight of what?"

Not waiting for an answer, I ran forward, holding my swords like I was about to attack. Mihawk leveled the sword at me, holding it parallel to the ground. Which was exactly what I wanted.

Putting on an extra burst of speed, I closed the gap before he could move his sword. Leaping into the air, I landed on the black sword. Using it as a spring board, I tucked my blades at my sides and let my momentum carry me somersaulting through the air right in front of my crewmates. I skidded to a halt behind Mihawk, my back to him.

"I thought you didn't like that style." He said, turning with a satisfied smirk. Rising, I turned to face him, a sword in each hand, and one in my mouth.

"Yeah well," I said, speaking around Kitetsu III. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, there's a move I wanted to try."

"Then let's see it." He held his sword at ready.

I ran forward, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Oni Giri!" I yelled, uncrossing my arms with as much speed and strength as possible. "Demon Slash!"

Silence. I panted heavily, listening to the hidden gasps of my crew. Then I smirked.

"I win." I said, holding the swords in place near his neck and chest.

"Not quite." He responded. That's when I noticed the cold steel tickling the side of my neck. I grinned.

"Draw!" we pronounced at the same time, then both burst into laughter.

I stuck the swords in the sand, leaning on my knees for support as I laughed. He followed suit, strapping the sword on his back and continued to chuckle. Finally, our mirth began to taper off. I wiped tears from my eyes as I straightened up. Suddenly, I was swept up in a hug.

"I missed you." Mihawk said, holding me gently in his strong arms. I returned the gesture, then punched him lightly on the arm.

"You big softy." I said, secretly glad for the moment. He put me at an arms length and looked at my side.

"Will you be okay?" He asked. I grinned.

"It's better than it looks." I said, inspecting the shallow gash as I spoke. "It's just bleeding a lot."

"I meant with your crew."

"Oh thanks!" I turned to look at said people, finding them staring like I had lost my mind. "Other than getting mobbed and having to answer a night's worth of questions, I think I'll be fine."

"Fine." Mihawk said. "I await you at home." He placed a small kiss on top of my head. I hugged him tightly, then watched as he strode away.

"Hey!" I called, running after him. "Don't you want your sword back?"

I held out the sword he had given me, but he shook his head.

"Keep it, and while you're at it, keep practicing." Mihawk said, wading noiselessly through the shallows that made up the inside part of the circular sandbar.

"Until we meet again!" I called, waving as his boat sailed away.

"Aly!" I turned to see the crew running towards me. All seemed to be speechless except for a certain swordsman.

"What the hell was that?" Zolo asked, reclaiming his swords.

"What was what?" I asked innocently, trying to avoid a direct answer.

"First you steal my swords, then you and Mihawk are hugging." He shook his head, glaring at me. "Why didn't he kill you?"

"Umm…well… you see…" I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "Mihawk… he's…"

"A Warlord of the Seas?"

"A great swordsman?"

"A cold blooded killer?"

"My freaking nemesis?"

I shook my head, hiding a grin at all these supplied responses, all of them infinitely easier than the truth I was about to speak.

"Hawk Eye Mihawk is my uncle."


	15. A Painful Past

Hi everyone! Sorry it took so long to update! Summer jobs are a pain in the ass! Big time...

**Sorano101 - **Thanks, I was hoping Aly seemed like her own person. And her past just makes it more so, I hope!

**BinkaWV - **Yeah, having Mihawk for an unlce would rock big time.

**xX-Avast-Xx - **

**A-Static-Lullaby-Baby - **I'm glad!

**Sanji-kunZoro-san - **I plan on it! And cool name!

**ChainofDreams - **I know the feeling, trust me. But as long as we update every once in a while, people shouldn't get out the torches and pitchforks... I hope...

**Mirathin - **Uncle Mihawk! Awesomeness at it's best.

Alright, I have to take off to my job, so enjoy, don't forget to review, all reviewers recieve cookies... and I'll see you soon! I hope...

**Chapter 15**

**A Painful Past**

Aly's POV

Faster than I could follow, Zolo had me by the shirt front, almost lifting me from the ground. I held onto his wrist as the rest of the crew looked on.

"Hawk eye Mihawk is related to you? And your uncle at that? How could you keep something like that secret!" the green haired swordsman yelled. The air itself seemed darker in response to his anger.

"Because of the reaction I knew I'd get!" I gasped, my air supply a bit limited at the moment. "I wasn't trying to keep it a secret! It was just… too hard to say…"

I landed with a thump as Zolo suddenly let go of me. Looking up, I saw him glaring at Sanji, who was glaring right back.

"Don't you know how to treat a lady? You shit swordsman!" Sanji yelled, aiming a kick at Zolo's head.

"Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!" Zolo yelled, ducking to avoid the kick.

"It does when you mistreat a lady-"

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone turned to stare at me. I sighed, putting a hand to my head.

"Enough damn fighting. I've had enough of it for one day." I growled, ready to rip off the head of anyone who disagreed.

"Of course, Aly! Anything you say!" Sanji said, floating around with heart eyes.

Zolo said nothing, only treated me with a look like I had never seen before, then headed for the ship. I stared after him. I knew this would happen, which is why I hadn't said anything. Admitting that you were related to one of the Warlords was asking for trouble. And as much as I love kicking random people's asses, I would much rather avoid trouble.

"Come on. I have to bandage that wound back at the ship." Chopper said, tugging at my hand.

Allowing Sanji and Nami to help me up, I grabbed my sword and sheathed it. The sound of the ringing steel in my ears made me uneasy as we walked back to the ship.

Why was that damn swordsman's look messing with my brain? It's not like I didn't know this was coming… but it seemed so familiar…

Why was it so easy for that swordsman to get under my skin?

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk is my uncle. My mother's brother. For a long time, he lived with my family on our island, not having a family of his own. He said it was better that way. The less connections he had, the less people would get hurt from his position as Warlord of the Seas." I stared at the cup I held in my hands. "Then, a little over six years ago, he suddenly left the island, and left me alone to care for my younger siblings."

The crew was gathered in the galley, listening to me finally recount the painful tale of my past. Even Zolo was there, leaning against the wall near the door. Though he hadn't met my eye the entire time we had been back on the ship, I could tell he was listening to everything I said.

"Alone? What about your parents?" Luffy asked, a rare, serious look on his face.

"My father… was a drunk. Had been for as long as I could remember." I said haltingly, fisting my hands inside the too long sleeves of my hoodie. "All he provided to my family was a source of income and a constant. He… he used to beat us… all of us… me, my siblings… even my mother… Mihawk confronted him a million times, and no matter how many times he was beaten, my father still seemed to sink to the bottom of a bottle. He wasn't much help when it came to raising kids…"

I stopped talking, taking a sip of whatever was in the cup in front of me. The rest of the crew was silent, absorbing this new information about me. But I wasn't done talking. I was just hoping they wouldn't catch on…

"You told me you promised your mother you would fulfill your dream."

I looked up at the swordsman near the door. Even though he wasn't even looking in my direction, he was talking to me.

"Yes, I did." I said quietly.

More silence, the question no one wanted to speak hanging in the air. I could feel it, and was half tempted to ignore it and move on. But it would only rear it's head later. Like when we finally arrived at my home…

"My mother…" I choked out, "died… six years ago. I was thirteen at the time… I promised her the night she died that I would become the greatest Elemental the world had ever seen, and that I would become a great swordswoman to defend my home and family…" I paused, swallowing the tears that were choking my voice. "After she died, I had to take care of my younger siblings. My father disappeared into a haze of constant rage, and my uncle… left after her funeral."

My words broke off, my voice no longer strong enough to speak them. There, hard part over. Parents are out of the way.

"My siblings didn't know what to do after my mother passed." I continued in a slightly stronger voice. "I took care of them, taking the beatings of my father to protect them, shielding them from the eyes of the village… My family was highly regarded until my father decided to become a drunk. He was the best sword smith in the world at the time. My uncle the best swordsman in the world. My mother the best and youngest full Elemental the island had ever seen. There was so much to live up to. And when I began to follow in my mother's footsteps, the village began watching like vultures. Waiting for me to mess up, waiting for a chance to cut me down from behind. It never came because she protected me. It only took me eight years to accomplish what took many half their lives. But once I had Blake and Eva to think about, I almost gave up my dream, just to make it easier on them as they grew.

Of course, I still had my friends that helped me out. We were a band of five. We liked to pretend we represented the divine beings of the island. There were five of us, so it almost fit. We were usually called the divine rejects behind our backs… Serenity. Her brother Harper. Kairi. Liam." I felt Nami's eyes on me. "And myself. We all had crazy dreams, we were all Elementals in training, we were all interested in swordplay. It was like we were meant to be friends…" I trailed off, once again out of things to say. "Questions, if you have any."

No one spoke. No one even moved. They all had dark pasts. I knew that, even if I didn't know their full stories. Now, they knew about the terrors that plagued me. Taking a sip of what I now identified as coffee, I continued.

"I took care of my siblings for almost four years, until Blake was old enough to look after Eva. Then, I left. At the age of 17, I left my home and set out to see the world. A lot of things happened in the two year stretch between then and now, and I would prefer not to go into detail about them today. But I'll just add this. The ship you found me on was a pirate ship, on which I was a slave for seven months."

Damn, this silence thing was getting old… Standing, I put my cup on the table.

"Wait! Aren't you going to eat dinner?" Sanji asked, looking concerned. I smiled at him, though it was forced.

"For some unknown reason, I'm not very hungry." I said.

A moment of silence, then…

"SANJI! I'M HUNGRY!" Luffy yelled, making everyone jump.

"Geez Luffy! Give us all a heart attack…" Nami muttered, holding the front of her shirt.

I smiled as the kitchen exploded into noise, just like it always was. Walking out the doorway, I saw Zolo still standing there. I stopped, so we were standing side by side. He looked at the floor away from me as I stared straight ahead.

"If you don't give up your dream, I won't give up mine."

Without a backwards glance, I left the kitchen. Climbing onto deck, I stood leaning against the railing, looking at the sandbar. Tomorrow, we would pass it, and be ever closer to my island.

Ever closer for me to relive the nightmare of my past.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" I muttered, clutching my burning side. "Damn it Mihawk! Why the hell do the wounds from your sword always freaking burn!"

Here I was, up in the crows nest, under the light of the moon. I had traded Usopp watch duty, saying I couldn't get to sleep anyways. I had no idea who was on duty next, but I figured I still had a good hour or two before it hit trade off time.

"Ow! Damn it all!" I winced as my side sent a new wave of pain through me.

Why the hell was this tiny little scratch bothering me? I had endured a lot worse without so much as a whimper, yet here I was wishing I could cut out my side and be done with it. I mean, it's true that rolling around in the sand with an open wound wasn't a great idea, but Chopper had washed it out and all that good stuff when he bandaged it. So everything was okay? Right?

Sighing, I held my side and shed my jacket. Leaning against the mast, I enjoyed the cool night air. So far, the watch had been peaceful. The only thing that troubled me was the memory of the look Zolo had graced me with after my battle. I gazed down at the sandbar. A few bloodstains were evident in the moon's bluish glow, the sand looking like it had been through one of the crew's stampedes for food, but nothing more gave away the ferocity of the battle we had fought.

But that look… it was so familiar… yet I was sure no one had ever looked at me like that…

I closed my eyes, remembering the many faces I made when things went wrong in my childhood life. My father beating me to a pulp didn't bother me, but when I found out something that betrayed my trust… that was it…

"SHIT!" I yelled, then immediately covered my mouth. Even though a cannon going off couldn't wake this crew, there was no point in screaming anyway. "Oh shit! That's it!" I continued in a much softer voice.

"Usopp, what the hell is your problem?"

I turned to see Zolo jump into the crows nest. He opened his mouth to say more, but when he saw me, his face changed to a look of surprise.

"What the hell are you doing up here? Usopp had this watch." He said, looking confused.

"I traded it with him. I couldn't sleep anyway." I said, looking up at the stars.

"Well, I'm on next watch, so clear out." Zolo wore a neutral expression, avoiding my eyes.

"Right. Sorry." I spoke softly, trying to hide my disappointment. He was still pissed about the whole relation thing.

Getting to my feet, a sudden bolt of pain rushed though my body. Gasping, I doubled over, losing what balance I had. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms had me in their grasp.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up to see Zolo staring down at me, looking… concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, the pain ebbing away.

"Are you sure?"

"Zolo, I'm fine. It's no big deal." I tried to glare, but didn't have the energy. Wasn't he the one who was just pissed at me? Why was he suddenly so concerned?

Pushing away his hands, I stood on my own, only to loose my balance again and fall into him. For a moment, he stiffened, my head resting on his chest. Then he put his arms around me.

"You're not okay." He stated.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." I said, without the usual barb in my voice.

This felt so… right. His arms wrapped around me made me feel… safe.

"I'm sorry." I muttered.

"What?" he asked, looking down at me.

"About keeping Mihawk a secret. About not telling you earlier when I knew it was important to you. Stuff like that. I'm sorry for it."

The moment of silence that followed scared me more than any battle I had ever faced. What if he didn't accept it? What if he was still mad at me? All of a sudden I was nine again, holding up my arms in hope of a hug, getting a kick in the stomach instead.

"It's alright." Zolo said.

"What?" I asked somewhat stupidly. "You aren't mad?"

"Like hell I'm not. But… you had your reasons, so I guess I can't blame you." He said, releasing me from his embrace. "Let me help you down."

"No thanks." I said, gathering up my jacket. "As pathetic as I am, I still have a shred of pride left."

"And who was it that told me to accept help from those who wouldn't hold it against them?" Zolo looked up at the starry sky, pretending to think of the origin of the quote.

"Shut up." I scowled, some of my old fire coming back. "I hate it when people through my words back at me."

Grabbing onto the ropes, I began to climb down to the railing. About half way down I stopped, a dull ache beginning to form on my left.

"Damn it." I muttered, wincing as the ache grew into a stabbing pain.

"Aly?"

I heard Zolo's call a moment before my hands slipped from the ropes. I fell forward, my eyes beginning to close. I saw the deck come up to meet me and then…

Nothing.


	16. Gift of the Gods

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. Some family stuff came up and we all know how that goes... so i've been away from my computer for awhile and i got home and i'm like, 'oh my god! my readers probably want my head on a stake by now!' So I sat down and wrote this.

**xX-Avast-Xx - **I'm sorry! I couldn't even update fast like I said either! i'm a horrible person..

**Mirathin - **yes, pairings! I really should put that in the summary shouldn't I? Well, it's Zolo/Aly obviously, with hints of Nami/Sanji.

**ChainofDreams - **Well, about Aly...XD read and find out! Oh! Aly and Zolo sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g! falls on floor laughing alright, I updated! Your turn!

**A-Static-Lullaby-Baby - **okayokayokayokayokayokayokayokayokay...

**mechanical-kitten - **salutes Thank you for reading my fic Captain Obvious! XD you get an invitation! don't ask.. long story involving me, my friends, and waaayyy too much sugar and caffine...'

Once again, I'm sorry about the wait! I might not update as often either. I got a co-authoring job on this fanfiction called Twilight Exodus. It's by Yeshua originaly. If you like Kingdom Hearts, definatly check it out! Alright! Enough babbling! Read and Review! And enjoy! And don't forget to review!

Oh yeah, I noticed the breaks in the chapters sometimes don't show up, so I'll use the extra special line thing to let you know...right! no more distractions! On to the story!

**Chapter 16**

**Gift of the Gods**

Aly's POV

Darkness… Endless darkness… Lonely, endless darkness…

Where was I? Why was I here? I remembered falling to the deck…

Darkness… Silent darkness… Eternal, silent darkness…

I began to struggle, finding my limbs couldn't move. What was going on? Was I… Was I dead? I opened my mouth to scream, but even as the air rushed out of me, no noise could be heard. What the hell was happening?

**_Daughter Alondra, welcome._**

I froze at the voice that reverberated around me.

"Who… who are you?" I managed to whisper, the darkness around me seeming more threatening than before.

**_Patients, Daughter Alondra. All will be revealed in time._**

Suddenly, whatever force that was holding me down was gone. I sat up with a gasp, pulling air into my lungs as if I had never breathed before. Wait…

Daughter Alondra? But the only ones that called me that was…

"I'm dead, aren't I?" I asked, standing with a half-hearted chuckle.

**_No. You are in a realm in between that of life and death. This is the only place in existence we can make a connection strong enough with you to fulfill The Prophecy._**

I gasped. The Prophecy? What did that have to do with me?

With a sudden flash of light, and I was somewhere completely different. I gazed around in amazement.

A garden stretched in all directions, every plant growing in untamed beauty. Trees stretched into the sky, some adorned in breathtaking flowers, other's bearing luscious looking fruit. Water carved a path through all this, tumbling down waterfalls held up only by the air. Torches hung suspended above me, further illuminating the bright place. The sky was a mass of chaos, all the powers of the gods clashing into one space, striking fear and awe in me at the same time.

**_Alondra._**

The voice drew my attention behind me. Turning, I felt my eyes grew wide. Falling to my knees, I proceeded to grovel in the dirt.

"My Gods. My Goddesses." I said, choking the words past the immense lump in my throat.

There, sitting in front of me, were three of the six gods and goddesses of my home. Each sitting in an ornate throne, the Divine Beings defied description. I kept my eyes firmly averted to the ground, unsure of what I had done to deserve a personal visit from the Divine Beings.

**_Rise Alondra. Things are not as they seem._**

I rose to my feet, but couldn't bring myself to look up at the thrones before me. Empty or occupied, they were still a fear instilling and awe inspiring site.

**_Speak your questions Alondra. Now is the time for them to be answered._**

"Why am I here?"

**_The moment has now come for The Prophecy to be fulfilled. But things have not gone as planned, so we must make do with what we have._**

"But, what does The Prophecy have to do with me? And what happened to the other Divine Beings?"

**_You do know The Prophecy, do you not?_**

"Of course."

**_Speak it._**

"There will come a time where the six Divine Beings will be sent down to the human realm, and take up residence in human hosts." I took a breath, then continued. "The fire god Pyro, the water goddess Aqua, the air god Aero, the earth goddess Terra, the light goddess Liora, and the dark goddess Kali will all descend from the heavens and chose their hosts. Together, these six chosen ones will protect the human realm, using the powers of their god or goddess."

**_That is correct. Alondra, The Prophecy is becoming a reality, but not in the way we had envisioned it._**

"I don't understand." I said desperately. "What does that have to do with me?"

**_……The band of friends you formed on your home, you felt nothing more than friendship for them? No sense of kinship, or of familiarity when they were present?_**

My silence was answer enough.

**_You and your friends… you are the chosen ones._**

The world dropped away.

"That's… that's impossible!" I said, grasping for straws. "There's… there's only five of us anyway!"

**_There are many things about your birth that has been kept secret, things we have been against since the beginning. But we cannot change the events of destiny. The Prophecy has been disrupted. We are returning to our realm before it was fulfilled. Now only three of the six chosen one's remain. It now falls upon your shoulder to complete The Prophecy._**

My brain soaked in this information like a sponge. Things that had never made sense before fell into place.

**_You have accepted this._**

"There's not much else for me to do… wait! What do you mean, only three remain! What's happened to my friends!"

**_You will find out soon enough._**

The voice had an air of sadness around it, one that froze the blood in my veins.

"Please, send me back! I have to help my friends!"

**_You have no further enquiries? Your crewmates will not sail without you in full health._**

"What did you do to me?"

**_To them, you simply appear in a deep sleep. It has been two days in the human realm._**

Two days! How long was I drifting in that void of darkness? Biting my lip, I hesitantly asked my question.

"What… what Divine Being am I? And which one's are my friends?"

**_Your friends…The one called Serenity was one of Terra. The one of the name Harper was that of Aero. Kairi was the chosen one of Aqua. The chosen one of Pyro was Liam._**

The past tenses weren't lost on me. I waited for them to answer. Suddenly, I felt light headed. The world began to waver, like an illusion on a hot day.

**_Your time in this world is finished. You will return to your realm now._**

The world slowly began to fade into darkness.

**_You, Alondra, are Liora. The chosen one of light._**

* * *

I shot upwards with a gasp. I was back on the ship. Looking around, I found myself back in Nami's cabin, laying on the sofa once again. Bandages were tightly wrapped around my side. Unwrapping them, I found my wound was gone.

**_A gift from us, Alondra. Along with this._**

I glanced down as the voice reverberated through my head. On the inside of my left wrist, the symbol of Liora began to appear. It was a set of wings, with a circle just above where they met and a triangular figure underneath.

**_This will enhance your Elemental powers and aid you. It will also allow us to connect to you without taking you away from this world. Be well, Alondra._**

The symbol glowed bright white for a moment, before fading, looking for all the world like a birthmark. I touched the now white skin.

I had to get home.

"About time you woke up."

"Holy shit!" I yelped, jumping halfway off the couch.

I turned to see a woman stretching on Nami's bed, yawning widely as she did so. She had just shoulder length black hair and pale blue eyes. She certainly looked older than anyone on the crew, late twenties maybe.

"You're lucky Miss. Navigator had watch and you were injured, or you would have been sleeping on the floor." The woman said, walking over to where I sat.

"Who are you?" I asked, backing up defensively from her emotionless expression.

"I'm Nico Robin." She said. "The ship's archeologist. And you must be the guest Mr. Captain talked about."

Mr. Captain… Okay… that's a new one…

"Well alright then…Miss. Robin." I said, the name sounding right. "I'm Aly. Or I suppose Miss. Guest."

She nodded and returned to the bed. I got up and stretched. Obviously, this woman meant no harm or she just would have killed me in my sleep.

I recalled the words of the Divine Beings as I pulled on a plain pair of jeans and a dark purple shirt with sliver embroidery wrapping around the front and back. I had been out for two days, possibly more. My home was in danger, my friends were in danger, and my family was in danger. I had to get home before time completely ran out.

Suddenly I felt rage, pure rage. Who ever was screwing around with my life was in for it. Big time. If they had done one thing to my friends or family, I was going to tear them limb from limb, starting from the toes up. I had been through more than enough shit in my life, I was not going to stand for anymore!

Bursting out onto the deck, I immediately drew the stares of the crew. My hair was stirring from the sheer amount of power coursing through me. My eyes were ablaze with what could only be described as uncontrolled hate. My hands clenched into fists as I glared back at them.

"LUFFY!" I yelled, making my captain jump off his perch on the sheep's head.

"Are you ready?" was my captain's only words, understanding for once that this needed to be done now.

"Unfurl the sails, raise the anchor, get ready to make way, and leave the rest to me." I growled, brushing past him as I leapt off the ship.

I dug my bare feet into the sand, clenching my hands into fists. Sand was beginning to part from the ground, swirling around me as I channeled the power coursing through me. My necklace began to glow green, as well as the mark on my wrist. Slowly raising my hands into the air, I concentrated on a spot well away from the Merry Go. The last thing I wanted right now was to damage the ship.

"TERRA!" I yelled, clapping my hands together.

The ground began to shake beneath me. Slowly pulling my hands apart, I struggled to stay in control. Over at the spot I had chosen, the sandbar started to part. The gap grew wider and wider until there was a pass big enough for the ship to sail through. Already, Luffy had the Merry Go heading into the gap. I dashed forward, running towards the ship that was my only ticket home. Tripping, I fell face first into the sand. The ground rumbled as my concentration faltered, but I quickly regained control, picking myself up and running furiously towards the ship.

"Aly!"

I heard someone yell my name, and my sight latched onto a hand reaching out to me. Putting on and extra burst of speed, I stretched my arm out. After a few tries, I managed to latch on. Immediately, I was pulled onto deck and into a pair of very familiar arms.

"Are you alright?"a deep voice asked.

I took in the sight of the white shirt and tanned skin, figuring out is was Zolo who had me in his embrace.

"I'm fine." I said, looking up at him. He bit back a gasp, his eyes growing wide.

"What?" I asked, more like demanded.

"Your eyes…" he stuttered.

Stepping away, I drew one of the ever present swords and looked into the blade. At first the sunlight blinded me, the green light still radiating from my wrist making it hard to stare into the metal. Tilting the sword so I could see, I gasped.

Green.

My eyes were green.


	17. Moonlit Reflections

Hey everyone! Wow, it took a while to update. I hit a major writer's block with this story, and the begining of school didn't help at all. My apologies.

**weixuan18** - thanks for all the reviews! You very much made my day. As for the eyes... all will be explained.

**Akasha-chan91** - Thanks so much! It's always nice to know I'm keeping everyone in character. Yeah, I don't really like it when Zolo is way out of wack. I'll live with it, but it takes away from the story. I hope he stays in character for this one!

**Sanji-luver **- I'll try!

**mechanical-kitten **- Thanks! It kinda went down the drain though. I hardly have enough time to write my own stories let alone someone elses. Yes, the green eyes rock!

**Hibiki-chan **- Yay! Aly's cool! Glad you think so!

**ChainofDreams **- I have only a few things to say. MAY THE FLUFF BEGIN!

**xX-Avast-Xx **- Well, can't blame ya for saying that. It's true!

**Mirathin** - Noo! Not the big anime eyes! I'll make another chappie! I promise! XD

Alright people, I realize that it took a while, but I think you guys deserve some...drumroll please...FLUFF! Please, please, please, please, PLEASE! tell me if Zolo is out of character! I hate nothing more than writing a character out of character and not knowing it! Okay, read, enjoy, and review.

**WARNING: THERE IS FLUFF IN THIS CHAPTER! IF YOU ARE A GUY THAT IS SQUEAMISH ABOUT THAT OR A GIRL THAT JUST DOESN'T WANT TO READ IT, SKIP THE SECOND HALF OF THE FIC! ...you have been warned. (ps. the line thingy hates me today so if you don't want to read it, just stop when you see it. You won't miss any vital story line parts, just some nice fluff. Important stuff in the begining.)**

**Chapter 17**

**Moonlit Reflections**

Aly's POV

The pale moon shone down on me, illuminating everything in a spectral light. I gazed up at it, surrounded by the stars. The moonlight was nothing more than a reflection of the sun. A mirror for something much brighter and bigger than itself.

Just like me.

Sighing, I rubbed the corners of my eyes as I stared at the horizon. I was settled on the goat's head of the Going Merry. My mind unable to let me sleep after the events of the previous day, I had gone out to the deck and convinced Nami to let me have watch. After a few looks and 'are you sure your okay?' s, she left me alone with my thoughts.

Heh, my thoughts. They were so easy to get lost in right now. I had quite a few things on my mind to say the least.

Green eyes… Those idiots! Were they trying to kill me? I stared at the mark on my wrist with contempt. It wasn't rocket science to figure out where all my new found power was coming from, where all these weird occurrences were born. The gods had given me a gift, and they were using me to the fullest.

A full Elemental has the power to change with the element currently in use. Skin color, eye color, hair color, all were common. AFTER you passed the final test. It was unheard of for someone who didn't have their full Elemental power yet to change. Just another bit of evidence that I was something no one had ever heard of.

The gods had a lot to answer to. But I suppose that included me too. After all, I was a reincarnation, a Chosen One, the vessel of the Light goddess Liora. A reflection of something much greater, just like the moon. Just a puppet…

Rage began to course through me, driving me to my feet.

Just a puppet? Just a puppet! Just a freaking puppet! Why didn't I see it before?

"Everything…" I hissed, digging my nails into hands. "Everything was set from the beginning… My friends, my family, my LIFE!" I was shouting now, not caring if the crew woke up. "You set everything up for me! Even my dreams were your idea! Weren't they? Weren't they! I never had a choice! When can I start living my own life? Huh? When? When can I start making decisions that weren't made for me! WHEN CAN I START LIVING FOR ME!"

Tiredness like I had never known washed over me, straining at every nerve, every scrap of sanity I had left. I slid off the goat's head, numbly settling onto the deck. It was too much. It was all too much.

Tears began to prickle at my eyes, rolling down my cheeks. All restraints I had were dissolved away in this madness, so I did the only thing I could. I sat on the deck and cried.

I don't know where all the tears were coming from, I must have drained half my body fluid, but they kept coming. I was so wrapped up in my tears that I didn't even hear the footsteps until the person was crouched down in front of me.

"Aly?" a voice asked softly. I looked though my tears to see Sanji crouched in front of me, a concerned look on his face.

"San...ji..." I muttered, burying my face deeper into my hands.

He gathered me into his arms, sitting next to me on the deck. I buried my face in his chest, doing everything I could from outright wailing at the frustration I felt. He stroked my hair and rocked me back and forth, whispering comforting words I couldn't make out over my sobs.

Eventually, the worst of it had passed, and I looked up at Sanji. He smiled down at me, looking odd without the ever present cigarette.

"Better now?" he questioned.

"I got your suit all wet." I responded, wringing the material out half heartedly. He laughed.

"That's alright." He stood, and offered me a hand. I took it, and was pulled to my feet, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness that forced me back to the planks. Sanji opened his mouth to say something but was drowned out by a loud growl from my stomach. I guess almost three days without food will do that to you…

"Umm…" I said awkwardly. "I guess I'm kinda hungry." Sanji laughed once again.

"I wondered why you didn't eat much of dinner. I'll go get you something and get you a blanket while I'm at it." The cook said, grinning like a love struck fool. "Will you be alright out here?"

"Yeah." I nodded, wiping my face dry. "I'm still on watch after all."

Sanji nodded and walked away. I waited until I heard his footsteps go below deck before letting out a sigh. A few more tears leaked out, but I furiously rubbed them away. Screw the gods. Screw them all. I had a dream to fulfill, whether it was preset or not.

But first, I had to get home. And whatever the situation would be, there was no way I could face it by breaking down and losing control. I had stayed in control for years, I wasn't going to let it slip now.

I looked out to the horizon. The next few barriers would be interesting to get through… Silently cursing, I wished I had remembered to ask Mihawk for some of is spare candles. They weren't just for decoration. The reason why they were made was so those who didn't have Elemental powers could get on and off our island. Once the flames were lit, they stayed lit. If they ever went out, only an Elemental could relight them again. Thus why my uncle could come and go as he pleased.

This time I heard Sanji come up behind me. Turning, I watched him set down plate after bowl of food in front of me.

"Geez Sanji! Did you get me enough food?" I laughed, grateful for the spread, most of it steaming in the cool night air.

"Just enough." He said, returning my smirk. He seemed glad that I was in good spirits again. "Let me go get you a blanket, alright?"

His words made me realize just how chilly it was out tonight. Suppressing a shiver, I nodded and he disappeared back into the ship. Digging into the five star cooking, my mind wandered back to my mother's cooking. As good as Sanji was, he didn't hold a candle to mom's dishes. The kind that would melt into you mouth and always leave you wishing for more…

But those days were long gone. Now, according to the gods, I had to save what was left… I sighed, putting down the soup I was slurping on. I had been trying to push the dire warning I got out of my mind. If I let myself dwell on it, it would only drive me nuts worrying. What kind of danger was my home in? Was Blake and Eva okay? And what about my friends? What the hell was happening over there?

I jumped slightly as a blanket slid around my shivering form. Smirking, I drew it closer, pushing empty dishes out of the way to make room for desert.

"Took your time didn't you Sanji?" I said, looking up.

Black pants…. White shirt… something wasn't right here… As soon as the green hair entered my vision, my smirk slid off my face. Stormy eyes met mine for a moment before Zolo turned.

"I'll go get the crap cook. You obviously like his company better." He said icily.

"Wait!" I scrambled to my knees, catching his wrist. Damn! How many times can I mess things up with this guy before he says to hell with it? "I'm sorry! I just didn't expect you to be out here, that's all."

He stopped walking and looked down at me, then stared pointedly at my hand clinging to his wrist. I let go hesitantly, afraid he was going to stalk off without another word. Sitting down with a muffled sigh, I picked up a dish.

"I wouldn't mind company, if that's what you came out here for." I said, scooting over like I was making room for him.

I held my breath, a moment of tense silence stretching forever. I stared at the ice cream slowly melting in the dish in front of me. The silence stretched longer. Finally giving into the urge to look up, I found Zolo's gaze focused on me.

"What?" I asked, slightly disturbed at the attention. Zolo wasn't one to stare, unless it was during a fight. His eyes roamed over my face.

"You've been crying." He stated evenly. Cursing, I rubbed my face with the corner of the blanket.

"What of it?" I scowled, daring him to make a big deal about it.

Another moment of silence, in which I didn't look up. Then I heard Zolo settle next to me, leaning against the railing.

"It's about the warning your gods gave you, isn't it?" Zolo asked, staring up at the stars. As soon as he mentioned it, my thoughts instantly went haywire with worry.

"What else is there to be a drama queen over?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Other than the fact we now have three girls bunking in a room comfortably made for one."

"I feel sorry for you, having to sleep in the same room as those two." He said, scowling in distaste. I laughed.

"It's not so bad. As long as Nami doesn't wake up before she wants to, everything is relatively calm." I commented, picking up the ice cream once again. Zolo stared curiously at it.

"What flavor is that?" He asked, the purplish color throwing him off.

"Black raspberry." I responded, scooping in a mouthful.

"I've never had any."

I choked.

"What!" I coughed. "What's wrong with you! Here!"

Before I registered what I was doing, I had scooped up some ice cream and popped it into Zolo's mouth. His eyes widened at the same time mine did. We sat there frozen. I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks, my face growing warm. I muttered an apology of some sort as I reclaimed the spoon, eyes fixed upon the deck.

What the hell was wrong with me!

Awkward silence reigned. I stared at the planks, counting the nails in each wooden board, while desperately trying to figure out my next action. Silence was the only thing coming from next to me.

For lack of anything else to do, I scooped up some more ice cream and brought it up to my mouth. But before I could get it in, a callused hand took hold of my wrist. I followed the spoon as it was guided away from me and past Zolo's lips. I could only stare as he drew the spoon out of his mouth via my wrist.

"Hm. Not bad." He commented, a slightly thoughtful look on his face. Then he looked at me and frowned. "What?"

"I… just thought you wouldn't like it. It's kinda an acquired taste." I said lamely, finding use for the jaw that had fallen open.

More silence. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist, the spoon in my hand still only inches from his face. I glanced down at the now melted ice cream in the bowl, then back to Zolo, only to find the swordsman staring at me.

For once, I allowed myself to gaze back, my eyes roaming over the face that fascinated me since the day up in the crows nest. It still amazed me how much his face described him. Sharp at the edges and hard to ignore. Then my gaze drifted to his eyes.

Dark eyes met deep blue.

His eyes… some sort of dark gray or black, they always reminded me of a storm brewing over the horizon. Dark, mysterious, and hiding everything else from view. I stared into his while he stared into mine, reveling in the moment.

Tearing my eyes away, I stared pointedly at his hand, which was still attached to my wrist. Following my gaze, he muttered an apology as he let go. I placed the spoon back in the bowl, and then brought my hand to rest on the side of Zolo's face.

He looked up, startled, and I once again got caught up in those eyes.

Suddenly, I found myself pressing my lips against his. Zolo tensed beneath me, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. I had both hands on his face, as if to make sure he got the full kiss before backing away.

The need for air eventually over whelmed the moment. I broke away with a small gasp, licking my lips absently. Wind chapped and rough, he tasted like sea salt and rum, pleasantly mixed with black raspberry. What I had just done came crashing down on me. Suddenly very afraid to look up, I dropped my hands back to my sides.

"Sorry…." I muttered.

I didn't get to say anymore as I was guided back to Zolo's face. He stared at me for a moment before crashing his lips down on mine. I draped my arms around his neck as his hands ran down my sides, resting at my hips. I shivered under his touch, goose bumps prickling at my bare skin. The kiss ended, only to begin a newer, passionate one. Parting my lip slightly, he did the same as his tongue slipped into my mouth, exploring. I savored the moment, determined to etch it into my memory forever.

We broke apart, both of us slightly breathless. The silence was only broken by our breathing and the lapping of the waves against the ship. No words were spoken, none needed to be. Settling comfortably against Zolo's chest, I stared up at the stars. I found my eyes closing, a smirk on my face at my final thought before sleep.

There was no way the gods could have predicted that.


	18. Dark before Dawn

Yes! All my chapters finally came back!!! (dances for joy) Once again, I am so sorry about all this. What was I thinking, not to let my readers know? (slaps self on forehead) But regardless of how horrible I am at updating, I have over 100 reviews!!! I didn't even think I'd get this many on my first story! Thanks everyone! Anyways, got to go. Enjoy, and don't forget to review! I love everyone who reads and reviews!!!!

Oh right. If you don't remember who Marie is, go read chapter 7, Recent History and Deadly Dreams, again. Or at least the part where Aly babbles about how crappy her life is.

Also, those who don't like violence, you might not like this chapter. Warnings of blood, gore, and general cruelty. Thank you, that is all.

**ChainofDream - **Yes, it has finally begun! Took long enough didn't it? Glad you like it.

**weixuan18 - **Thanks! I'm so glad everyone liked the fluff. I was afraid I had done really bad on it.

**firefistACE888888** **- **Thanks for the review!

**Critias - **Yay! Yet another person who likes my story! I love you!

**Sanji-luver** - Thanks!

**Aksha-chan91 -** Yeah, Sanji's nice. At first I was going to make it like Aly liked Sanji better and have the whole thing blow up, but it came out the way it is!

**the ness-ness -** Once again, yay! People liked the fluff!

**Saemi -** Yeah, no problem. I'll fiddle with it. It should be fixed before I put up the next chapter. Thanks for pointing that out!

**antyem13 - **Pick up your jaw. That hurts after a while! First One Piece fanfic huh? I'm honored. And yes indeed, Zolo is HOT! If you loko back at some of the earlier reviews, that's all we talk about.

**Chapter 18**

**Dark before Dawn**

Raven's POV

She sat looking up at the stars, their light reflecting in her eyes. The fountain behind her gently spilled water into the pool below. She sat on the stone edge, her long brown hair just barely brushing the liquid. A sudden, joyless smile suddenly graced her lips, her eyes taking on the heartless hue they always had.

Finally, her time had come. After years of fruitless searching, careful planning, and cold blooded murder, everything was coming together.

Her hand reached absently to her neck, fondling the stone resting on her collar bone. Ever since she had discovered the true meaning behind it, all life around her had perished, unless tolerated for her cause. Another sudden smile appeared, a strange madness radiating from her in waves.

Truly, death was the only thing that gave her joy. Seeing the fear in their eyes just before they slumped to the floor. The surprise etched into their face before the pain took hold. The dark, crimson blood that adorned her features after a successful kill, as it coated her hands and slid down her throat like liquid life.

Stretching her frame slightly, she returned her gaze to earth as another approached from the shadows.

Her pawn was indeed an interesting specimen. Driven for revenge at the tender age of 18, just a mere year younger than her. Black hair that hid passionate brown eyes behind a veil of bangs, her pawn was indeed interesting. Even so, it was this girl that had gotten her here, that had been the first to know of her legacy and home.

"Is she coming?" the girl asked. She noted that the ever present sword was tied at her side.

"Indeed. She passed the first barrier this afternoon." She answered, casting an eye over her pawn. "Are you still so bent on revenge Marie? Such passion could be directed at more becoming things other than the thought of another's death."

"We've been over this. I got you here, and now I get my revenge. And you do whatever the hell it is you wanted to do." Marie answered, fingering the hilt of her sword. "Alondra ruined my life with her freakish little powers. I have every right to pay her back in full for that."

"Of course. Of course. I wasn't denying that you did." She waved her hand in the air, as if to brush away the doubts in Marie's mind.

"Have you been watching her?" Marie questioned.

"What else is there to do?" she questioned, dipping a finger into the fountain pool.

She began to trace lazy patterns in the water. The liquid stopped spraying into the cool night air. As the last few drips descended into the water, the spot where her finger was turned black. Slowly, the darkness spread to every corner until the whole fountain was black and motionless. Removing her finger, she waved her hand over the water and an image sprang forth. Marie bent over it eagerly. She also glanced down to the water.

A girl with long brown hair appeared, asleep and leaning against a man with bright green hair. Near them, dishes were stacked and scattered. A blond man came up to the pair, a cigarette lighting up his face. With a smirk, the blond spoke, provoking a scowl from the green haired one. A few words were exchanged before the blond gathered the dishes and walked away, disappearing into the ship. The remaining man gathered the sleeping girl into his arms and stood. He cast a glance at the cabin door before going into the ship, leaving the image focused on an abandon piece of deck.

With another wave of her hand, the water cleared and the fountain began again. The purple glow from the obsidian pendent on her necklace faded. She watched as Marie looked up at her, suspicion clear in her eyes.

"I still can't believe how much you look like her. Are you hiding something Raven?"

Raven chuckled as she resumed her stargazing, one hand on her pendent.

"We've been over this Marie. I am hiding nothing other than what I do not know for certain. We both have a similar need, and that is to see the corpse of Aly sprawled at our feet. Surely that is enough for us to work together? She now has a crew, so it is our best interests to stay together. Wouldn't you agree?" Raven spoke softly, but her voice commanded the attention of her listeners.

A quiet rustle came from behind Raven, and a boy emerged, a knife dripping in blood in his hand. He moved slowly, making sure he made no noise. Raven smiled suddenly. Both of their backs were to the boy, so he surely felt that he was safe.

How very untrue.

"And what do we have here?" Raven said, her necklace glowing again. "A rodent that survived? Oh dear, I must be getting sloppy."

The boy yelped as the air around him darkened and plucked him from the ground. He struggled as he was brought towards the two girls. Marie whirled around, sword half drawn as her eyes swept over the intruder.

The boy had red hair that was now dark from matted blood. His piercing green eyes shone with hatred as he glared at them, his thrashing became weaker.

Raven's smile got wider when she saw the ruby of an armband glinting in the moonlight. Suddenly it began to glow, and his progress through the air slowed. Marie's face contorted into a snarl.

"Filthy Elemental." The swords girl marched up to him. "I thought I got every last one of you."

"Now now Marie." Raven said, still drawing the boy close. "I'm sure he has a good reason to be watching us instead of running as far away as he could to save his own worthless hide."

"Shut up! You… you monsters!" The boy suddenly spat, the glow from his ruby dying out. His head turned as Marie's hand connected with his face.

"Watch who you call monster, filth. You and your 'people', if they have any right to the title, are the monsters. All of you. And I'll finish what I started."

In one fluid movement, Marie drew her sword and tried to swing at him, only to find her blade stopped by the dark air. She spun around, livid.

"Don't stop what's rightfully mine!" she screamed the other girl. Raven simply smiled.

"But he interests me. Allow me a moment." Raven responded, taking Marie's snort and sheathing of the sword as a yes.

With a wave of her hand, the boy floated so he was hovering right in front of her. Reaching up, she turned his face this way and that, only to have him jerk it out of her grasp. He had spirit. She liked that. Standing, she circled him, ending up mere inches from his face. Eyes taking in every detail, she determined him to be about her age of 19.

"And who might you be, my brave boy?" she asked quietly. He raised his head, tossing it defiantly.

"Liam." He responded without hesitation. "If you're going to kill me, get it over with before I get my arm free."

Raven watched, amused, as he attempted to pull his arm free, the knife still firmly in his gasp. With one swift movement, she had tugged the blade from him. Turning it over in her hands, she smiled up at him.

"Wonderful quality. Who's was it? Your father's perhaps? A family heirloom?" Her smile suddenly took on a maddened look. "Well, it really doesn't matter. It can be used the same way."

Raven's pleasure grew at the gasp from Liam as she plunged the knife into his abdomen. Twisting it ever so slightly, she received a scream that pierced the night and sent shivers down her spine. Liam shuddered and coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Pulling him down to her level, his feet rested on the ground, his body still supported by the dark air. Noting Marie had disappeared sometime during the performance, she leaned close to the boy.

Her tongue darted out, licking the blood trailing down to his chin. Eventually reaching his mouth, she closed hers over his. Twisting the knife a bit more, she backed away and smiled at him, licking off the bit of blood on her face before moving to her hands. The dark air disappeared, leaving Liam to fall to the ground. Raven watched with a predatory look, cleaning her hands of blood with her tongue. Liam grasped the knife and pulled it out with a sickening squelch. Gasping, he curled into a ball, trying to stanch the flow of life pooling below him. Finished with her fun, Raven bent down close to him.

"I just missed anything vital." She informed him. "You will live long enough to see your precious Aly again, and to tell her all about what you have seen and what has happened. Shortly after that, you will die. But don't worry. Elementals have an afterlife, right? So you'll have a wonderful seat as I tear dear Alondra apart."

With this said, Raven stood and walked through the silent town. She took a moment to read the sign above a door. Timothy Shinto. Sword smith. She pushed the door open and entered. Swords and katanas hanging proudly on the walls, gleaming in the faint light of the room. Taking down one fine example, she unsheathed the katana and walked into the next room.

She gazed unfeelingly at the man tied to the metal ring on the wall. Dirty blond hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, leaving his weathered face and aged blue eyes clear for the viewing. Raven crouched down in front of him, katana tip slipping under his chin. She lifted his head so she could see his face, finding his blue eyes blazing with hatred. Her ever present smile grew at this display.

"Hello again. Still haven't given up I see." She commented.

"We should have killed you the moment you were born." Shinto spat, glaring. "The whole damn island was too soft with you. At least your sister turned out half decent."

Raven's eyes flashed, then settled back into the normal emotionless deep blue. Standing, she cut the ropes with one swing. Turning her back, she moved to leave the room.

"I was going to let you live for a little while longer, but you've managed to provoke me into deciding otherwise." She said, back still to him. "I will be waiting outside. You may decide the way you will die. With or without honor."

Raven spotted Marie as she left the workshop. Smile returning, she moved towards her pawn.

"Do you need something Marie?" she asked pleasantly.

"You left the filth alive." Marie responded coldly.

"Simply just another blow to dear Aly." Raven's smile widened. "His name was Liam. I found out that he means a great deal to Alondra, even so far as a fiancée. Seeing him dying without any way to prevent it will weaken her beyond anything we could have hoped."

"Isn't that what we did all this work for?" Marie questioned, fingering her sword as she stared over Raven's shoulder.

"Indeed it is. If she doesn't break before we show ourselves, it certainly will be a good fight. I'm looking forward to seeing her face crumple with the realization that she was too late, too weak, too helpless to stop us. After slaying her crew, she should have little resistance left, if any. Then it will be mere child's play."

"Raven."

She turned to find Shinto outside his shop, a sword in his hand. Suddenly, Raven began to laugh. It was a chilling sound, not happy or glad in the least. Just cold amusement.

"So you decided to fight, did you? That's wonderful. I was so hoping you would." Raven said, moving to him. He shifted into a fighting stance, the stiffness in his limbs suggesting he hadn't used swordplay in ages.

"Whatever happens tonight, Aly will stop you. Both of you. She has more strength than anyone has ever given her credit for. Only one person has ever truly known that power but it's too late for her now. Aly will stop you. She'll take revenge for us all." Shinto announced, grip on the blade tightening.

"If you have such confidence in her, why don't you have confidence in me? After all, I was so hoping you would approve." Raven said, still smiling.

"You're no kin of mine! You never were!" Shinto yelled. "You haven't been since the day you were born and sent as far away from here as possible! You're nothing like Aly!"

Raven chuckled. If only the fool knew how wrong he was…

"Fool. You should know. I'm much stronger than dear Aly. And soon, she'll meet the same fate as you."

With a wild yell, Shinto charged forward. Raven stayed put, smiling as she stared at the ground, Shinto bearing down on her in seconds. A movement no eye could follow, and she was behind him. Without a sound, he collapsed on the ground, blood pooling underneath him. Blood dripped off the end of the katana as Raven looked up at the fading moon. Dawn was coming very soon.

"Soon Alondra, you will know of me. You will know I'm the strongest Elemental. You will know that it will be at my hand the world will suffer because of the pain it has caused me. And you will meet your demise at my hand." Raven spoke quietly. "Soon."

"Raven."

"What?"

"Look."

Looking down towards the dock, she saw a small ship dock. It was a tiny affair, the corners lit up with candles. Raven's smile returned.

"It seems Hawk Eye has returned." She turned to Marie. "Keep him busy, away from the village. At least until shortly before Aly arrives."

"Oh right. What am I supposed to do against the greatest swordsman in the world?" Marie asked, slightly scared. She hadn't known just how great the odds were stacked against her until now.

Smile slipping for a moment, Raven sighed, seemingly good naturedly.

"Fine. Must I do everything myself?" she waved her hand and a dark cloud suddenly obscured the dock from view. "There. He won't be able to leave only a few hours before dear Alondra gets here."

Raven looked out towards the ocean.

Soon.


	19. Fire in the Sky

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for being patient. If it wasn't a writers block, it was some other drama that required my attention. This summer has officially earned an F in terms of productivity. But never fear! I'm getting back into the swing of things. So, drumroll please, NEW CHAPTER!!!! WHOOT!!!! ...I'm done now... I'm gonna go sleep or something... yeah...

**weixuan18 - **Well of course they'll win! Luffy's pretty much indestructable! But that doesn't mean there won't be sacrifices... oooohhhhh... But Raven is definatly a piece of work, even from my authoress stand point. And sadly, I can't wait to write more of her sadisticness!!! Glad I could keep you amused! Exams are a terrible, terrible thing...

**Sanji-luver - **Tantalizing? That is so awesome!!!! My story just got called tantalizing!!! Oh, you rock!!!!

**Critias - **Yis, it was quite bloody wasn't it? But I still love Raven's character. For some reason f-ing insane people appeal to me right now. Probably makes me feel more sane! Well, at the (terrible) rate I update, you'll get to read it before you die. You might be old and gray, but you'll be able to read it! Mihawk's purpose will soon be revealed!!!! Hahahahahaha!!! Ohs noes!!! The pointy stick of DOOM!!!

**antyem13 - **Don't worry. All will be revealed!!! It's my job after all... yis, many plot twists in this story. But Zolo is very definatly drool worthy! Drooling fangirls of Zolo UNITE!!!!!

**Yumi - **Thanks! I'm getting such a positive response from the fluff!!! Whoot! Yes, computers suck. So much for technology of the future, huh? Can't very well build a future on something that keeps crapping out every hour or so!

**cutie-kitty100** - Thanks! Yeah, I was so ticked about all that. Now I have it back, but I just can't come up with what to write next. XX Isn't it wonderful how my life works? But anywho, glad you like it!

**Volume-5 **- Thanks a bunch! I'm glad it's playing out well. There's so much to cover so it will all make sense in the end... I hope. Yeah, mindless fluff is always good. Glad you like it!

**Don'tCallMeShort! -** Updated, updated!!! And a virtual sugar rush? Since we can't really give each other sweets, we pretend we can by giving each other the right to a sugar rush. Therefor, we pretend to give each other sugar, and show our appreciation for each other. Yay for social interaction via the internet!

**darkheart1992 - **Thanks! Here's your update!

**nautikitti - **Quite the change of pace wasn't it? But it's just a warm up for what's to come... dun dun dun... I'm so evil... and weird...

**edwardcullensluv - **Thanks! I'm glad to hear it flows! Sometimes I wonder if I spend too much time in the details of things, but you just brightened my day! I send you love and a new chapter!

**Songorita - **Here you go!

Reviewers will be loved forever and given a virtual sugar rush in the sweet form of their wishes. They also have my love... yes, I just said you have my love... (hearts all reviewers)

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**Chapter 19**

**Fire in the Sky**

Aly's POV

I sat straight up with a yell, practically throwing the blanket that had been over me across the room. I looked around wildly, sighing as I recognized familiar surroundings. I was still on the Going Merry. I wasn't at home. It had all been a dream… But I wasn't in the cabin.

Luffy was snoring next to me, hat on his stomach as he muttered something about meat. Ussop lay in his hammock on the other side of Luffy. I could see him clutching his slingshot, occasionally waving it around as he told tales to his dreams. Chopper was on my other side, twitching his nose every so often as he swung gently with the rocking motion of the ship. One other hammock was empty, which I could only guess belonged to Sanji. That meant I must be in his…

Twisting around, I almost fell out of the hammock, but saw the swordsman snoring away on the couch. He had one arm over his eyes, the other hanging off the couch near his three swords, which had been leaned near his head. He was just tall enough that his feet were propped up on the arm of the couch, mostly because he didn't have a pillow, so he was scooched down enough to have his head on the cushions. All in all, it was such a cute image that I couldn't help but to smile.

Taking the pillow from the hammock, I managed to get my feet on the floor without a sound. Creeping over to Zolo, I poked him gently.

"Zolo." I whispered. "Hey Zolo."

He didn't even stir. Grinning, I lifted his head up and slipped the pillow underneath. Silently creeping to the door, I opened it up with only a slight creak. I was halfway out without incident.

"Sanji! I want meat!!!" Luffy yelled, in his sleep no less. He then proceeded to begin chewing on his pillow.

"Don't worry! I will defeat the sea monster, for I am the brave Captain Ussop!!!" The marksman announced, striking a pose even in his sleep.

"AHHH!!!! SEA MONSTER!!!!" Chopper yelled, thrashing around in his hammock until he fell out of it. The doctor fell on the floor, then curled up there.

In moments, there was silence again. And the swordsman had slept through it all. Trying hard not to explode laughing, I shut the door and went up on deck. Only then did I start hysterically laughing.

"What's so funny?" A familiar voice inquired. I looked up to the crow's nest to see Nami, apparently on watch.

"The boys." I said, still chuckling. "How they ever get any sleep is beyond me."

"Really?" Nami responded, leaning on the edge as I climbed up. "And why were you down there in the first place? Hm?"

"N-no reason really… I must have fallen asleep on deck last night, that's all." I said, hoping that she wouldn't notice the very slight blush that was making my ears turn bright red.

"Okay, come on, spill. What happened?" Nami said, nudging me with her elbow. She had that 'I found treasure' look on her face again…

"Nothing really. I was just on watch and Sanji brought me some dinner since I didn't have any, and then Zolo brought out a blanket, and then I must have fallen asleep…" I knew she wouldn't buy this, but it was worth a try.

"Uh-huh, and you magically appeared in the boy's cabin because?" Nami's grin only got wider as I tried to skirt around the answer.

"Well, I uh… kinda fell asleep on Zolo… I think…"

"Oh! And what were you doing all snuggled up against Zolo? Hmmm?"

"Um… well, we were kinda… um…. Making out….."

Nami squealed as I tried to check my flow of blood. If my circulation brought anymore to my head, I think it was going to explode.

"See, I told you that you liked him!" Nami said, giggling. "Anything else?"

"Nami, come on! We've been over that one already!" I exclaimed, glaring at her. She only winked.

"Just checking." She said, still grinning. "Well, your secret's safe with me. Until the rest of the crew catches on."

"And are you gonna tell them?" I asked, a bit on an edge on my voice.

"No no, don't worry, this is between us girls." The navigator said, treasure hunter grin gone in place of a small smile. I could tell she was being honest. "But the rest of them aren't dumb. Robin will defiantly notice. She doesn't miss anything. Ussop will catch on eventually. As for Chopper and Luffy, someone will probably have to announce it to them… And Sanji'll find out soon if he doesn't know already. "

The change in her voice when she said 'Sanji' didn't go unnoticed.

"So Nami, how goes your quest for the perfect man?" I asked, grinning with my 'Gotcha' look. I'll admit she did a great job hiding it.

"What?" she asked, looking at me confused.

"Oh come on, I'm not as blind as you must think. The way he dotes upon you, and you don't seem to mind? And you always go to him if you need help with something. Plus the look of death I got when I flirted with him that once or when he called me pretty…"

"Alright! Okay, I like Sanji…" she muttered, pouting a bit now that someone found out her secret. I simply grinned wider.

"So who else knows?" I asked. She sighed.

"I think Robin might. But other than you, no one else has picked up yet. They all think it's just Sanji being his usual self." Nami said with a sigh, resting her head in her hands as she stared out to sea. Although I don't think she was really looking.

"So when are you making you're move?" I asked, grin fading to a small smirk.

"I don't know. Probably…" Nami trailed off, blinking as she squinted at something on the horizon. "That's impossible… The sun is rising… again… and from the wrong direction…"

I whipped my eyes to the horizon. Dusty tinges of pink were beginning to show in the sky, straight in front of the ship. Which was odd, considering the sun was already rising to our left. I suddenly noticed how warm it was getting, and that the sea was getting a bit rougher.

"Oh shit! That's not the sun!!!" I yelled, scrambling down to the deck. "EVERYONE! ALL FREAKING HANDS ON DECK!!!! NOW!!!!!!!"

Within a minute of my yelling, Robin and Nami were next to me. Sanji came barreling out of the kitchen, while the rest of the boys exploded out on the deck.

"What's goin' on? I want breakfast." Luffy complained, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Everyone, get over here. I've got stuff to say and very little time to say it." I commanded. Everyone gathered around. "We're getting close the Second Barrier. That means there's a few ground rules I need to lay down. One, do not go into the ocean for any reason! I don't care if Luffy falls overboard again, if there's a reason to go in the water, I'll do it."

"Why-" Nami began, but I cut her off.

"Two, if you guys see anything, ANYTHING, out of the ordinary, you tell me right away. At this point I have no idea what might happen, so be on guard." Pausing, I looked around the ship. "It would be a good idea to furl as many sails as possible. The less flammable material flapping about, the better. Take down the flag, unless you want it to burn faster than Luffy trying to cook. And Nami, you should probably put a tarp or something over the trees. Last time I checked, they were prone to burst into flame."

Everyone scurried off to do what I had said. Sometimes I felt more like the captain than Luffy, but that was probably because this was my territory and they didn't feel like getting killed. I began to help bring in the sails, keeping a wary eye on the brightening horizon. In the middle of the chaos, I caught Zolo's eye. We held each other's gaze for a moment before he continued to secure the sails. I turned back to my job without much more thought on the matter. We both understood that surviving held a higher place than awkwardness.

The heat continued to increase, making us all shed some un-needed layers, much to Sanji's delight. I think Nami hit him at least three times, though not as hard as usual. Those two were so cute…

"Miss. Guest, what exactly are these barriers?" a voice asked me from behind. I turned to face Robin, who had an expression of mild curiosity.

"I didn't explain about them before, did I?" I said, rubbing the back of my head. "The Four Barriers are the island's defense. There's one of each element, representing that the gods are protecting us."

"And the First Barrier was that sandbar right?" Nami commented. I noticed that most of the crew had gathered around, finished with whatever preparations needed to be made.

"Right. The Second Barrier is one of fire, and the Third is one of air. The sea itself is the Fourth Barrier of water." I explained, holding up a finger for each one.

"COOL!!!" Luffy exclaimed, trademark insane grin on his face. "So that's why we can't go in the water!!"

"Ummm… yeah…." I said. I chose that moment to look at the horizon, and I felt my eyes grow wide. "SHIT!!!"

With that, we sailed straight into the Second Barrier. Tongues of flame were everywhere, dancing across the deck and flitting about the rigging. The panic finally began when one mosied up to inspect Usopp's foot.

Usopp screamed and began running around the deck. Nami, Chopper, and Luffy weren't far behind him, and soon all four of the idiots were running about screaming. The little fireballs seemed to cackle with delight and began chasing them, bouncing up and down as they did.

Sanji and Zolo immediately reacted with violence, which didn't work very well. Every time Sanji went to kick on, it jumped and landed on his shoe or leg, which made him kick at it again, which led to a very entertaining blur of leg and flame. Zolo whipped out a sword and began to slice the fire in half. Which works oh so well considering fire cannot be cut, especially disembodied fire with no apparent source of fuel. The fire was toying with him too, jumping up onto his sword and arm, which led to another entertaining show of steel, fire, and arm.

Robin and I were left standing where we originally were, attempting to analyze the situation.

Gods, my life just can't be simple…

"Miss. Guest?" Robin's voice invaded my thoughts. "Something strange is going on."

"Yes, I can see that. I don't think I could have missed the small balls of flame bouncing around and tormenting the crew." I replied sarcastically as I wiped sweat out of my eyes. The heat was getting unbearable.

"Well, obviously that is strange." Robin replied in a matter of fact tone. "But did you notice that is all they're doing? The ship isn't being burned, and neither is the crew. And if you don't believe me, look down."

I looked down so fast I almost gave myself whip lash. There was a ring of fireballs bouncing around me. A few were sitting on my flip flop adorned feet. One was even rubbing up against my bare ankle and doing something akin to purring.

Okay, NOW I was confused.

"Ummm… excuse me.." I said, kneeling down to their level. My necklace turned red. I could only guess how demonic my eyes looked. "What are you doing?"

The flames continued to bounce up and down, giving me a response I could only define as laughing. Scowling, I waved them away from me.

"Miss. Guest?"

"Yes, Robin?"

"If you have a plan, I suggest you act quickly."

"And why would you say…… oh……"

I stood up, gazing at the huge wall of fire directly in front of the ship. I looked at Robin, who's face was completely calm, looked at the firewall, looked at the crew, and then once again at the firewall.

"SHIT!!!!!!!!" I yelled, sprinting over to the bow of the ship. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!!!!!!"

I leapt onto the goat's head, quickly noting the space between the firewall and the ship. I had about five minutes before we went up in ashes. Continuing to exclaim explicatives, I returned to the deck and began pacing.

"Miss. Guest?"

"YES, ROBIN?!?!?! WHAT THE HELL IS IT?!?!?!?" I screamed, whirling around. She still had that infuriatingly serene look on her face, and took my shouting in stride.

"Perhaps you could use that power of yours. Surely you realize that all we're facing is a wall of fire in the middle of the ocean." Robin said evenly.

"…ALL WE HAVE TO FACE??? ARE YOU NUTS??? IT'S A WALL OF FIRE!!! WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO ABOUT THAT???"

Alright, so maybe I was getting a bit out of hand. But can you blame me? I had maybe four minutes to save everyone, no plan at all, and the only advice I've gotten is random pieces of obvious information. Yes! It was a wall of fire in the middle of the ocean!!! Being an Elemental doesn't make you invincible!!! I can burn just as easily as anyone else!!! I'm the only one on the damn ship who can survive in this ocean!! Everyone else would drown or die one way or another!!! GODDAMNIT!!!

"Well, water is the opposite element of fire." Robin informed me. "Am I wrong?"

I opened my mouth to tell her just how wrong she was when what she was saying suddenly sunk in. Of course!!! Just because we can go in it doesn't mean it couldn't be useful! Though I'd have to expend an insane amount of energy to make this work with such short notice… Now… to inform everyone else.

I turned to the screaming, swearing crew, and realized no matter how loud I was they weren't going to stop. So I took the only choice open to me. I ran toward Sanji and Zolo, who were closest. Coming up behind the cook, I swept the legs out from under him. He landed with an 'oof'. One hand came up to smack him on the head, while I used the other to tap Zolo on the shoulder. He whirled around, and I twisted the sword out of his grasp. Sheathing it, I gave him a solid shove and a whack over the head. Two down, four to go.

Sprinting over to the four running idiots, I waited for one to run by. Nami happened to be the unlucky victim. Grabbing her arm, I used her momentum to spin her in a circle. Soon she was going faster than she could run and tripped. I reversed the direction so she wouldn't fall on her face, and let go of her arm.

Chopper ran by me, screaming his fool head off. I went to grab him, but he was too quick. Suddenly, he was lifted off the deck by a pair of arms so he was running in mid air… Arms… that were growing… out of the deck… I looked around to see Robin smiling at me. Deciding not to question, I moved on.

Luffy was running about in circles and Usopp was making laps around the edge of the deck. Grabbing the back of Luffy's shirt, I swung him around and straight into Usopp. The two collided, recoiled, then fell on top of each other quite dazed. Before anything could get more out of hand, I began yelling.

"STOP ACTING LIKE IDIOTS AND LISTEN!!!" I screamed. "Everyone with Devil Fruit powers, buddy up with someone who doesn't and hang the hell on or else you're dead!!! And for the love of the gods, STOP SCREAMING!!!!"

"But Aly, you're screaming." Luffy supplied helpfully, dusting himself off as he stood.

"Why yes, Luffy, I am." I replied, smiling and mentally holding myself by back from punching my captain in the face. "But please to what I say, and do it rather quickly, because we have about thirty seconds before burning to death."

With that I strode to the front of the ship and attached myself to the rigging, leaving the idiots to panic and the somewhat calmer ones to take charge. Unfortunately, Luffy wasn't done asking questions.

"Hey Aly! What's that?" Luffy yelled, pointing to the giant wall of fire now towering above us. Zolo scowled as he grabbed the back of his captain's shirt and dragged him to a more secure location than the middle of the deck. "And has your necklace been blue the whole time?"

"That Luffy, is a giant wall of fire." I responded evenly. I tilted my head to the side and grinned insanely at the crew. They clung onto whatever they could find more dearly. "And yes, my necklace has been blue the whole time because that is what's going to save us."

I pointed to the giant tidal wave that was rising behind us, even taller than the fire. There was just enough time to savor the priceless looks on their faces before immeasurable amounts of water crashed down upon us.


	20. Seas of Danger

Hey everyone! Well, school has officially started. I've only been back there two days and I've already decided that I hate humanity... this cannot end well... On the up side, I will now have plenty of time to access computers, which means I can type more chapters until my fingers bleed! Yay! I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to know that the next chapter is already half done! Whoot! On to the reviewers!!!

This chapter is especially dedicated to **Soldier Heart**, who sent me a very hyper pm and 100 boxes of chocolate (apparently). Thanks so much for the insperation!!! You can keep the coffee! Don't worry! I won't take it from you! (backs away slowly) And as for Zolo and Aly, you'll just have to wait and see!!!

**Hibiki-chan - **Glad to have you back! Enjoy the chapter!

**Saundra - **Thanks! Here's a new chapter!

**God'schild777 - **I'm glad you like the barriers! They kinda began as a spur of the moment thing, but I really liked the idea, so they stayed! Nah, they couldn't kill the crew. Even without Aly, they're stronger than that. It just worked to my advantage to make them screaming morons! Enjoy the chapter!

**Critias - **ROFL! I never thought of it that way! Indeed, those are very naughty flame thingies. Yeah, I don't know much of how Robin acts (still trying to catch up on series), but I've always seen her as the eye of the storm. Never freaks out, always has this calm smile on her face, kinda creepy actually. But poor Aly just needed a direct answer, she was too busy freaking out over the crew (coughZolocough) to make her brain function properly. That's okay that you forgot-ed! That's mostly my fault for not updating in a while... Enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 20**

**Seas of Danger**

Aly's POV

I cracked my eyes open, feeling them sting at the salty sea water. I began to look around, but was temporarily blinded by my hair. It swirled around me, wrapping around my neck, clinging to my face, and brushing my arms. Of course, the one day I left it down was the day I had to be submerged by a giant wave. I would have brushed it away, but I was a little too concerned with keeping both hands firmly attached to the railing. My feet had parted company with the deck long ago.

Looking around, I began to take stock of the situation I had put us in. The crew was scattered about the ship, clinging for dear life to the rigging and railings. Many had their eyes squeezed shut, except for one. Luffy had his eyes wide open, a wide grin on his face. I briefly wondered how he managed that without losing air. Well duh! Luffy grew up in an ocean side village. He told me that himself! Man, my memory was going down the drain…

Suddenly becoming aware of the hissing noise reverberating through the water, I looked past the bow to see a wall of white. Steam. From the wall of fire that I had just launched us through via a giant wave. Right… Oh shit…

The ship shot out of the water, flying through the air before landing with a giant splash. Everyone on the ship bounced back onto the deck. I was on my feet and leaning over the aft railing the moment I regained my balance. The firewall behind us was collapsing back into the sea, hissing and sizzling as it went. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is everyone okay?" Usopp asked, picking Chopper off the deck.

The crew was soaked. It was rather funny, seeing everyone so disheveled. Especially Sanji, who always seemed to have it together. But other than that, everyone seemed no worse for the wear. Luffy must have seen me join the outskirts of the group, because he immediately bounced over.

"ALY, THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!" He yelled in my face, throwing his arms up and acting like an idiot.

"Thanks." I replied, laughing at his hyper activity. I guess treating life threatening experiences like they were everyday occurrences were just part of Luffy's charm. Or they were everyday occurrences and I was just as insane as he was.

"That was some quick thinking." Nami said, running her hand through her sopping hair. "Although I wish you could have given us some warning."

"With all of you running about like idiots, there really wasn't much time." I said, grinning at the embarrassed looks. "But if you want to thank someone, thank Robin. It was her idea."

While the hyperactive crew clamored around Robin, I leaned against the wall of the kitchen. Hoping it looked like I was simply standing back and watching the scene, I attempted to get my vision to focus like it should. Creating a tidal wave in roughly three minutes while dividing your concentration to rounding up your crew isn't as easy as it sounds. And it doesn't sound all that easy in the first place. My reserves were completely drained for the moment. I don't want to pull another stunt like when I first came on this ship, draining myself to the point of not being able to do anything. I was too close to home for that to happen…

"Aly! Come on! It's time for breakfast!!!" Luffy said, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the kitchen.

I managed to keep my balance long enough to sit down at the table. Watching the crew gather round, I couldn't help but smile at their antics. Life, although difficult, was good.

Until a certain swordsman with whom I had some things to talk about but really didn't want to right now while I was tired and hungry sat down across from me.

* * *

I stretched luxuriously, yawning as I persuaded my body that nap time was over. Using my arms, I propped myself into a sitting position and sat up. The sun was high in the sky, warming the deck as the crew went about they're daily stuff. Usopp tinkering, Nami sunbathing and reading her newspaper, Luffy perched on the goat's head, and Sanji puttering in the kitchen. Oh… and Zolo… was training. I frowned slightly as I leaned against the railing of the ship.

Breakfast had been an interesting affair. Somehow, Zolo and I managed to interact with the crew normally without actually speaking to each other. The table and the rest of the crew had become quite interesting to watch, as I couldn't very well look across from me. Not when an irrate swordsman was glaring at the side of my head.

How do I know he was glaring? I made the mistake of making eye contact at some point during the meal. While no particular emotion was directed towards me, it was what I saw going on behind his eyes that disturbed me. They say eyes are the gateways to the soul. Well, if that's the case, then a very bloody, very drawn out, and extremely violent war was now Zolo's soul. In which case, I would very much like to stay out of it.

Food had restored some of my strength. So for the rest of the morning I took a leaf out of Zolo's book and napped on the deck. The swordsman ended up training on the other side of the ship, as far away from me as possible.

Now, taking into consideration that we hadn't spoken since the… kiss… I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Sure Zolo wasn't the most romantic person ever, that position was filled by Sanji, but he wasn't one to hide something for long periods of time. If there was something he wanted to say, he said it. And now it looked like he had plenty to say, but for some reason was keeping quiet. That could only be defined as bad. As for me, my emotions were a bit varied. I was confused. Obviously. I was a bit pissed that he was skirting around whatever was bothering him. I was too afraid to ask. And above all, I was too stubborn to let it bother me. So here I was, going about as if nothing was wrong and nothing happened. It probably wasn't the best choice ever, but being so close to home was grating on my nerves and I just wasn't up to volunteering for an emotional rollercoaster when I knew I was promised one the moment I set foot on my island.

I sighed, flopping back down to the deck. Raising my arms, I reached for the sky, imagining that I could capture one of the big fluffy clouds and let it carry me away from all my troubles. Instead of getting that wish, I noticed that my usually pale skin was getting the beginnings of a tan. Now THAT was enough to brighten my mood!

The rest of the day passed rather slowly. I realized that I really didn't have a hobby like everyone else. So I read Nami's paper. I helped Usopp with one of his inventions. I tried to help Sanji with some cooking, but was turned away at the door… With a snack. I stayed FAR away from the sea weed head. I didn't disturb Robin or Chopper. The former was reading a book and I don't mess with book readers. I've gotten hit by them more than once for interrupting their reading session. And Chopper got left alone because he was absorbed in some doctor thing and apparently didn't take well to people interrupting him. I practiced with my skills a bit, entertaining myself with turning a suspended puddle of seawater into as many different shapes as possible. But that quickly became boring. So I ended up returning to my nap spot, staring at the sky in the hopes of some excitement.

"Hey Aly!"

I looked to my right, where Luffy was occupying his favorite seat.

"Yeah?"

"Is that your island?" He asked, pointing to something out of my line of vision. Getting up, I leaned over the railing. There was a speck on the horizon, hardly big enough to see.

"I guess so…" I said. Some kind of finality settled on my shoulders. This was it. Home was in sight. I was too late to turn back now.

"Cool!!!" Luffy yelled, throwing his arms up into the air. He bounced off towards Nami. I assumed that he was going to inform the navigator in the loudest possible way that we were close to my island.

That left me leaning over the railing, staring blankly at the speck in front of me. My mind was awhirl with thoughts. The only ones I managed to consider for internal conversation weren't pleasant ones. What would my village's reaction to my return be? My family's? Liam's…? Would they let me take the Trials? What would I do if they wouldn't?

Should I let the crew come with me? Would they listen if I asked them to stay on the ship? What would Luffy do when he found out I couldn't possibly be on his crew because I had siblings to take care of? What would Nami do when she discovered the Berries I promised her weren't mine to give? What would the rest of the crew do when they saw the villagers? Or when the villagers saw them? What would Liam think about me traveling with pirates? Or with the pirate men? Or with Zolo?

What would Zolo think when he saw my home? What would he do when he found out Mihawk was there, probably waiting for him? Would he try to fight him? Would he win? Would he die? Would the villagers even allow such a fight to take place on the island? Would they stop them? Would I stop them? Could I stop such a fight? What if I tried to stop them and they wouldn't? What if Liam tried to stop me from preventing the fight? Oh dear gods, what would Zolo's reaction be to Liam? Sweet, kind, over protective Liam? What would the swordsman when he found out about our so-called engagement? What would Liam do if he found out I had kissed Zolo?

What if those two started fighting? Liam was good with a sword, and he was pretty proficient in the Elements. But Zolo's insane strength might be enough to over power him. What if they fought? I wouldn't be able to break up that fight very easily. They wouldn't harm me. Well, I know Liam wouldn't, but would Zolo in his current state of mind? No. No, he wouldn't… Would he? What if-?

"HEY!!! LOOK AT THIS!!!"

I turned to see Luffy standing dangerously on the railing. One hand was pointing to something in the water, the other was on his hat. That meant nothing were dedicated to keeping him balanced as he leaned over to get a better look at whatever had caught his interest. I blinked. There was a splash, and Luffy was gone from my sight.

"LUFFY!!!"

It took less than a heartbeat for me to be sprinting over to the railing where the rubber man had fallen. In the few seconds I had to look, I saw Zolo with one leg up on the railing, looking with all intents and purposes to jump in after his captain.

"ZOLO!!! DON'T DO IT!!!" I found words leaving my mouth even though my brain didn't have a thing to do with it. "YOU'LL DIE!!!"

He paused, then turned to look at me as I ran past. Not having time to get a good look at his face, I put my hand on his shoulder. I used it to get myself up and over the railing at the speed I was currently going. As soon as I was clear of the railing, I gave him a gentle push back onto the deck.

Then the water closed over my head.

Immediately calling on my Elemental powers, I took a deep breath of sea water and propelled myself down. Luffy was sinking fast. I could still see him, which was better than nothing. But even the slightest disturbance in this water was fatal. I just had to hurry before Kaijin got here…

A dark shadow passed below Luffy, far in the depths of the ocean. My eyes widened as I kicked more furiously, getting within reaching distance of the pirate. I grabbed the hand he extended to me. Turning around, I began to hightail it to the surface, Luffy's arm over my shoulders. My extended senses could feel the water below us shifting as something big began to immerge. The grim realization that we wouldn't make it to the surface in time hit me.

I stopped swimming. Luffy gave me a look of confusion. Pushing him behind me, I glared into the depths as the shadow started to gain on us. Bubbles erupted as it sped towards us, green scales becoming more apparent in the water filtered sunlight. It twisted and turned up towards us. I could just catch a glimpse of light reflecting in red eyes… oh shit…

A roar blasted through the water with enough force to send me backwards enough to hit Luffy. I didn't have time to plan anything, before the beast arrived.

A very serpentine looking, rounded, green-blue scaled face was suddenly right in front of me, roaring at us again. No time, no time, no time! A huge mouth full of fangs opened up. And I did the only thing I could think of. Pulled my arm back and punched it square in the snout.

The hit had about as much force behind it as water resistance would allow, and even then it must have only felt like a bug bite. But a moment later, the cavernous mouth was closed and a red eye was staring me down. I glared right back, trying not to blink. The red slowly dissolved into black. Hesitantly, it bumped it's nose against me. I smiled and scratched it's scales gently.

And at that exact moment, my powers gave out.

My body suddenly had one command. AIR!!! I was rushing up through the water, lying flat against something, when the ocean fell away and air replaced it. I lay on something rough and wet, coughing for breath as I listened to familiar voices yelling. Looking up through a curtain of hair, I watched Luffy slide down the scales and onto deck. He started bouncing around and yelled about how awesome that was. Nami and Usopp wasted no time in smacking him over the head.

Slowly gaining my hands and knees, I watched my arms shake. I felt around inside myself. Breathing a sigh of relief, my Elemental powers were still intact. It was just my stamina that had given out. Moving carefully, I got myself into a sitting position. I brushed the hair out of my eyes, absently scratching behind one finned ear of the beast I was sitting upon.

"Thanks Kaijin." I said softly, listening to him do something akin to purring.

"Aly! Are you okay?" Nami yelled at me from the deck. Apparently she had beaten Luffy enough for one moment.

"Yeah." I replied, sliding down Kaijin's face just as Luffy had. "I'm fine-"

As soon as my feet had hit the deck, my legs gave out from under me. I sat down with a thump, watching as the world slid in and out of focus. Nami was crouching in front of me, yelling something. I watched her hazily as she looked at me with concern, then stared at something next to me with alarm. I looked to my side to see a green-blue blob. My vision sharpened for a moment, and I made out a tail, finned ears, and webbed feet. I half laughed as he scrambled into my lap.

"Just can't leave me alone, huh Kaijin?" I muttered, playing with his tail as he settled himself on my lap. Chopper appeared in front of me, or I'm guessing that's what the brown blob was.

"I need you to tell me what's wrong." He said in a very professional voice.

"My vision's kinda blurry. Keeps going fuzzy and back." I told him, trying not to slur my words. "The world keeps spinnin'. I'm really tired, and my legs feel kinda like jelly."

"Has this ever happened before?" The deer man asked, taking my vitals and all sorts of other things that doctors do. I had to kick my brain in order to answer his question.

"Yeah, it did once when I was little. I was working too hard. Wasn't eating enough, wasn't getting enough sleep." I told him. The little doctor's face scrunched up.

"As a doctor, I suggest that you rest for the remainder of the voyage." He scolded. "Stop over exerting yourself. You know your limits. Don't overuse your powers. Sanji!" Chopper called the cook over. "Make sure she eats something. Right now."

I stared blankly at the deer man. He hadn't told my anything I didn't know. And more importantly, it seemed like he wouldn't try to stop me from using my powers once I got home. If there was one thing, I couldn't be anything less than at my full potential once I got to my island. Gods only know what was waiting for me…

My body slowly realized that it was moving, heavily leaning against someone tall and solid. I looked over to see Sanji, who smiled at me when he realized I was looking in his direction. My gaze started to wander about the ship. It was only when my eye caught sight of green hair that I realized what I was looking for.

I stared at the turned back of the swordsman. As the kitchen door closed, I could just see him glancing over his shoulder, face unreadable, in my direction.


End file.
